

4 


Glass JT 3..4TL5. 
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Book_(A_T_ 













LOCOMOTIVE RUNNING REPAIRS. 


L. C. HITCHCOCK, 

n 

Gen’l. Foreman of “ Soo Line ” Shops. 



COPYRIGHTED 1893 
By L. c. HITCHCOCK. 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 









PeBSS OP MooRK & I.ANGBN, 
Tbrrk Hautb, Ihd. 


CONTENTS 


Preface. 




Iniuoduction. 


Page. 

Chapter 

I. 

Grinding in brass valves, cocks, etc. . . 

1- 3 

Chapter 

II. 


4-10 

Rods, 4; Setting up wedges, 8; Tramming, 

10. 

Chapter 

III. 

Springs. 

11-24 

Chapter 

IV. 

Setting side valves. 

. 25-35 

Chapter 

V. 

Flange wear. 

. 36-43 

Chapter 

VI. 

Shoes and wedges.• • • 

. 44-51 

Chapter 

VII. 

Driving-boxes » . . . .. 

. 52-58 

Chapter 

VIII. 

Washing boilers. 

59-64 

Chapter 

IX. 

Moving eccentrics. 

. 65-69 

Chapter 

X. 

Back cylinder head. 

. 70-77 

Chapter 

XI. 


. 78-89 

Chapter 

XII. 


. 90-100 

Chapter 

XIII. 

A time-saving wheel-truck. 

. 101-104 

Chapter 

XIV. 


. 105-108 























PREFACE. 


In placing this little book before Locomotive Machin¬ 
ists, the writer does not wish to convey the idea that a 
compliance with the instructions herein given is the only 
road to success, but his desire is to give, in language as 
concise as possible, some methods of making running re¬ 
pairs on locomotives, which, from personal observation, 
he knows to have been productive of good results. And, 
while hoping that those who are experienced in locomo¬ 
tive repairs may obtain some benefit from a perusal of its 
pages, the book is more especially calculated to benefit 
Machinist Apprentices and those inexperienced in this 
class of work. 

While a lack of time and opportunity have prevented 
the production of a more complete work, an endeavor has 
been made to bring forward a few roundhouse “kinks” 
and also directions for correctly performing the work 
usually done on locomotives while undergoing general 
repairs. 

Believing that a book describing in detail the manner 
of doing the work on all classes of locomotives would 
be too expensive, the writer has confined himself to a 
description of the work to be done on w r hat is commonly 
known as the eight-wheeled American locomotive, and 




Preface. 


believes that there is enough similarity in the work on 
the different types of engines that a person who acquires 
a knowledge of the proper manner of performing the 
work on the class of locomotives mentioned will have no 
trouble about doing the required work on those of other 
types; and he presents this book with the feeling that 
should only a few be benefited by its production, his labor 
will not have been in vain. 


L. C. Hitchcock. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The subject of running repairs is so broad, that in writ- , 
iDg upon it there can be no assurance given that many new 
ideas will be advanced, owing to the fact that there are 
scarcely any repairs to be made on an engine which may 
not be made in several different ways, any one of which 
may produce good results. 

It is not the intention of the writer to convey the idea 
that the ways he describes of doing work are the only cor¬ 
rect ways, for it may be proved that in some instances 
the ways described are not the ways which will produce 
the best results. 

“All men are prone to error,” and I do not believe in 
the “My way is the best and only way” theory, for if 
there lives any one man who knows it all I have never 
had the pleasure of meeting him. 

There is always a best way, and the object of the writer 
will be to get this best way before his readers, and 
whether they get this from reading this book or the crit¬ 
icisms and suggestions from some of his readers, is im¬ 
material if the desired object is gained. 

The intention of the writer is to tell in the plainest 
manner possible of the way different classes of work 
has been done which has produced the best results, as 
far as his observation has enabled him to judge. And 
where there exists a probability that, by doing work in a 
certain manner, poor results would follow, the desire is 
to explain to them what these results would be, and why 
they would be produced, that all may avoid doing work 






Introduction. 


in an improper manner; and should any of my readers 
“pick me up,” and explain better methods of doing run¬ 
ning repairs than those which will be described, I shall 
thank them, and cheerfully “stand corrected.” The 
writer is selfish enough to hope that he will derive as 
much, if not more, benefit from the corrections and sug¬ 
gestions from his readers than they will receive from 
reading this book, though no effort will be spared to 
make it as interesting and instructive as possible. 



CHAPTER I. 


GRINDING IN BRASS VALVES, COCKS, ETC. 

It is a good plan, I think, for roundhouse foremen every 
morning and noon to personally look over the book in 
which the engineers report the work to be done on their 
engines, and to assign to each man under his charge the 
particular work he is to do. While doing this recently I 
noticed where an engineer had reported, “Grind in right 
injector line check,” and told a machinist (a new man 
who had only begun work that morning, and who was 
awaiting to have his work assigned him) to take off the 
cap of line check, and examine the condition of the valve, 
and also to have the boiler washer lower the water in 
the boiler to enable him to examine the condition of the 
boiler check valve, and to note the lift of each. Then I 
wandered around through the house, apparently not see¬ 
ing anything in particular, but in reality keeping a close 
watch of Mr. Machinist. The first thing he did after ex¬ 
amining the condition of the check valves, as instructed, 
was to go to his tool cupboard and take out two cans of 
emery, a little cotton waste, and a squirt can, and start 
for the engine. On his way there I met him and asked 
him what he intended to do with those things. Said he, 
“Grind in the checks; they need it.” Right then was 
when the lecture began, and he was told that the checks 
did not require to be ground with the emery and oil he 


2 Locomotive Running Repairs. 

had; he was shown where to get a piece of an old grind¬ 
stone which had been broken, and was told to powder it 
up, and sift it through an old red flag which we had for 
the purpose. Then he was sent to the storeroom for a 
bar of soap—not cashmere bouquet, but yellow soap. 
The boys call it “washerwoman’s delight,” and in an old 
box lid we mixed the grindstone powder and soap with 
water into a thick paste. 

This for grinding brass surfaces together, when water 
is used instead of oil, gives the best results of anything 
we have ever seen used, owing to the fact that the parti¬ 
cles of grindstone will not imbed themselves into the 
brass surfaces, as will the particles of emery, causing 
the surfaces to cut. 

Never grind brass cocks, etc., with emery. The proper 
way to grind a brass cock (if you have the cock off so 
you can catch it in the vise) is to catch the large end of 
the plug in the vise, and grind the shell to it, giving it 
each time about one-half turn, pulling the shell a little 
away from the plug after each half-turn, continue this for 
six or eight seconds; then remove the shell from the plug 
and clean each thoroughly and rub them together dry; 
rub hard; do not be afraid they will cut, for they will 
not, if there has been no substance other than the grind¬ 
stone powder and soap between them. 

When rubbed together dry, the heaviest bearing will 
be indicated by dark yellow lines. Should these not be 
universal the entire length of plug and shell, rub clear 
soap on the dark yellow lines on the plug, and put the 
paste and water on the other parts and grind again, but 
only a few turns before cleaning off and examining again. 
When the bearing is perfect on shell and plug, put a little 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


3 


beeswax and tallow melted together on the plug, and put 
it into the shell, and you will have a nice, tight, free- 
working cock. 

Before commencing to grind brass surfaces, pains 
should be taken to get as nice a bearing as possible by the 
use of a fine file or scraper, using lampblack and oil, or 
something of that nature for a marker. Then, while 
grinding, care should be taken not to bear on too heavily, 
or grind too long, before separating the surfaces, as this 
allows the particles of grindstone on each surface to 
change their positions, and this prevents cutting. Those 
who will follow these simple directions while grinding 
brass cocks, etc., will have no cause, I think, to regret, 
having done so. I know of one man at least who believes 
it to be the correct way, and that is the man who ground 
the checks; for, said he, “It used to take me longer to 
get the emery and cuts out than it does now to do the en¬ 
tire job.” 

While speaking of checks it may not be out of place to 
suggest here that every time a boiler is washed out the 
check caps be removed, and pains taken to see that 
the check valves, and the passages in the check shell are 
perfectly clean, and that the joints are perfect on the 
valve and seat; for while boiler is being washed, scale, 
etc., is liable to be washed over on top of the check valve, 
and this oftentimes prevents the free working of the in¬ 
jector, and in this case, as in most others, “An ounce of 
preventive is worth a pound of cure.” 


CHAPTER II. 


RODS. 

Too much care cannot be taken to keep rods the 
proper length. Some of the troubles which arise when 
main rods are not kept in this condition are, first (and 
probably the most dangerous difficulty), there is great 
liability of breaking the front or back head of the cylin¬ 
ders when the rod is too long or too short, as the case 
may be. Then the brasses are not in their proper posi¬ 
tion in the strap, and if they are too far out of the proper 
position the supply of oil from the rod cup is in a measure 
cut off, and the pin will possibly lack proper lubrica¬ 
tion. And again, when main rods are not of the proper 
length, it is a more difficult matter to set the valves 
so that the engine will exhaust regularly, or “ beat 
square,” as the boys say. This may not be considered 
by some to be a very serious difficulty, but it sounds bad, 
to say the least, and I believe that if an engine does not 
sound square it is not using the steam properly, and an 
indicator card taken from such an engine would, I think, 
clearly show that something was wrong. These are 
some of the effects. Now, w 7 hy are they produced ? I 
think that the reason the first two effects are produced 
is very plain. If the rod was too long there would not 
be sufficient room between the front cylinder head and 
piston head when the engine was on the forward center, 




Locomotive Running Repairs. 


5 


and in case a follower bolt worked loose the cylinder 
head would be broken sooner, and if the engine was 
over-pumped and w’ater was worked into the cylinder 
the cylinder head would be more liable to break. If the 
rod was too short the back cylinder head would suffer in 
like manner from these causes when the engine was on 
back center. 

When the brasses are not in their proper position in 
the strap the oil hole through them is thrown out of line 
with the hole through the strap into which the oil cup is 
screwed, and where this difficulty exists to a great ex¬ 
tent the oil supply is cut off by the hole through the 
brasses passing beyond the hole through the strap. 

The reason an engine will not sound square when the 
main rods are not of the proper length is, that if the steam 
is made to cut off at an equal distance from each striking 
point (as it should be made to do) there will be more 
space between the piston and cylinder head in one end 
of the cylinder than in the other when the exhaust takes 
place, which causes a difference in the sound of the ex¬ 
haust. 

A full explanation of this will more properly coftie 
under the head of “ Valve Setting,” with which we in¬ 
tend to deal in another chapter. 

When a main rod is put up, the engine should always 
be pinched on the center, and the distance from the n rar¬ 
est striking point to the end of cross head be measured. 
Then, if the engine has 24-inch stroke, lay an opened 
24-inch rule on the bottom guide with one end against 
the crosshead: then measure the distance from the other 
end of rule to the other striking point. If these two 
measurements are the same the rod is the proper length. 


6 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


In case there is a difference, one-half of this difference 
is what the rods need to be altered. Some one may say, 
why write these things, which any apprentice boy should 
know? I answer, simply because I have seen machinists 
who considered themselves pretty good workmen put up 
main rods without taking these measurements, and the 
piston head struck the cylinder head the first time an 
attempt was made to move the engine. 

If the rod is down at both ends, a good way to get the 
proper length is to place the crosshead centrally between 
the striking points, then the distance from the center of 
the crosshead pin to the center of the forward main 
shaft is the length the rod should be from center to cen¬ 
ter of brasses. 

When rod brasses are reduced much care should always 
be taken to reduce each half square with its edges and 
sides, as this causes the parting edge of each brass to 
come squarely together when they are keyed in the strap. 
The brasses in the forward end of a main rod should be 
reduced enough, I think, to allow the parting edge of 
each half to stand a full thirty-second of an inch apart 
when they are keyed sufficiently tight to the pin, as this 
will allow the engineer to key them up two or three times 
before it again becomes necessary to reduce them, and 
as these brasses never revolve entirely around the pin, 
there is less liability of their “hugging” the pin and 
heating. 

I would not advise a person to leave the brasses in the 
back end of a main rod open, as at each revolution of 
the driving wheel the pin makes a complete revolution 
in these brasses, thus increasing the liability of heating 
if they are keyed too tightly to the pin. They should be 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


7 


reduced so that when the key is driven down solid the 
brasses will revolve freely on the pin, at the same time 
having no “ pound ” or lost motion between them and 
the pin. This can better be determined by placing them 
in the strap and keying them to the pin; for when the 
brasses are put together out of the strap, and only the 
calipers relied on for the fit, it is only guess work, as one 
has to allow so much for keying them together; but 
when a person keys them together on the pin he can re¬ 
volve them before the end of the rod is put into the 
strap, and he does not need to allow anything, for then 
he knows how they tit. 

When making the fit to the pin I would not advise 
draw-filing the brasses, as this brings the file marks par¬ 
allel with whatever lines or marks are in the pin, if it 
is cut in the least, and this makes them more liable to 
heat and cut. I think the best way is to cross-file, using 
a rather fine file for the finish. I do not think it neces¬ 
sary to use a scraper, for the scraper has had its day for 
such work. It is better, I think, to give all parts of an 
engine what space they require with a file than to be 
compelled to run it around the shops and yard for a week 
or two that it may free itself before we dare put it into 
freight service, as was the custom fifteen or twenty years 
ago. 

For brasses in the back end of main rods, I think that 
those which have babbitt metal inlaid in the bearing sur¬ 
faces give the best results, as babbitt, being an anti¬ 
friction metal, wears the pin smooth. 

If any foreign substance gets between the brasses and 
pin it cuts out the babbitt metal. This causes the brasses 
and pin to heat, and often melts the babbitt. In case a 


' 


8 Locomotive Running Repairs. 

person has a pair of brasses out of which the babbit has 
been melted as described, and the time to make the re¬ 
pair is limited, after the brasses have been nicely fitted- 
to the pin, a good substitute for the babbitt is a piece of 
sole leather fitted into the slot in brass from which the 
babbitt was thrown. 

In case the pin is very rough this will be found bet¬ 
ter than the babbitt, for if any piece of scale from the 
pin, or piece of foreign matter of any kind (which is 
hard), gets between the pin and brass, it will imbed itself 
in the leather instead of cutting out a piece, as it would 
from babbitt. These foreign particles will remain in 
the leather below the surface and have more of a tend¬ 
ency to w r ear the pin smooth than otherwise. 

A little plumbago and sulphur mixed with tallow* put 
on such a pin before the rod is put up will be found very 
beneficial. 

There are some engineers w T ho imagine that every time 
they set up a wedge the length of the side rods should 
be altered. This, I think, is a sad mistake. It causes 
the engineer sadness on account of the way his engine 
will ride, and the roundhouse foreman, who is expected 
to keep the engine in good repair, does not feel very 
jubilant over having to take dowm the rods and re-adjust 
them every trip or two. I believe that a pair of side 
rods put up in the proper manner should run twelve or 
fifteen months without being adjusted or having the 
brasses reduced, provided, of course, that all other parts 
of the engine are kept in good repair. 

SETTING UP WEDGES. 

The first thing to do when side rods are to be put up is 
to see that the wedges are set up properly. This can be 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


9 


done very satisfactorily in the following manner: First 
have the engine on a piece of straight level track, then 
get under and pull down each wedge until it is quite 
loose; now have the driver pinched as far ahead as pos¬ 
sible and held in that position with the bar. Set the 
wedge up quite snug and try if the driving-box will stick 
between the wedge and shoe by having another man put 
a pinch bar ahead of the wheel and both men jump the 
wheel together. Set the wedge up until the box does 
stick, then draw the wedge down until the box just works 
freely between wedge and shoe. Treat each wedge in a 
like manner and the wedges will be in a proper position. 
Now pinch the engine a full revolution on each side and 
try the trams on the main centers and pins at different 
points to see if the main centers and pin centers tram 
correctly. If they do, see that each brass is fitted so it 
can be keyed solid in the strap and still be perfectly free 
on the pin; then put the engine on the center on the side . 
you wish to put the rod up, and put the forward end of 
the rod up first. Now, if the engine is perfectly cold 
put the rod up as tight as possible between the pins. I 
have never known of a case where a side rod was put up 
too tight between the pins when the engine was perfectly 
cold. On the other hand, I have seen too many rods put 
up too loosely between the pins, and when this is the 
case, the strain (when the engine is warm) will come on 
the rod bolts and they will be sheared. A side rod can 
be sprung between the pins if too long, but it cannot be 
stretched a particle if too short, and, consequently, the 
rod bolts suffer, though this assertion is not intended to 
convey the idea that a side rod will run good if too long; 
for if too long the strain is on the pins, though there is 


10 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


less trouble from a side rod which is a little too long 
than from one left a little too short. 

TRAMMING. 

In case the pins do not tram correctly with the main 
centers, care should be taken to note the greatest differ¬ 
ence shown between the pins, then put up the rods as 
described, being careful to file out of the back half of the 
back connection the full amount of this difference. This 
will insure the rod passing over the longest point be¬ 
tween the pins without binding. Rods put up in this 
manner will run nicely when the pins are considerably 
out of tram, and if the engineer who runs the engine can 
by any hook or crook be made to believe that he must 
let them alone, I feel confident that no trouble will arise 
for a long time. But it is a difficult matter to make some 
engineers believe that their side rods should not be tam¬ 
pered with, and this fact is what makes me pin my faith 
to solid ended side rods, that is, those whose brasses are 
pressed into the rod in the form of a bashing, and that 
have no straps, bolts or keys; for an engineer cannot 
change the length of these, and in our experience they 
have always given very good service. 




CHAPTER III. 


SPRINGS. 

If a driving spring or engine truck spring is allowed to 
remain in an engine after the set is nearly gone, it is lia¬ 
ble to cause serious damage to the wheel flange. 

The theory has often been advanced that if one side of 
an engine is allowed to remain lower then the other side, 
the engine will crowd to the higher side, and for proof a 
belt running over a crowning pulley has been cited. This 
is an erroneous idea. It is true that a belt will run to 
the highest point of a pulley face, and this is the reason 
why some pulleys are made crowning, or left larger in 
diameter in the center of the face than at the edges, as 
this will insure the belt running in the center of the face. 
The principle involved in this case is altogether different 
from that in an engine with one side lower than the other. 
The belt principle I think can readily be understood by 
reference to Fig. 1, page 12, which represents a belt pass¬ 
ing over two pulleys, the face of one having been turned 
straight, and that of the other crowning; the representa¬ 
tion is exaggerated, to better illustrate the principle. 
Now, the belt when placed at the edge of the crowning 
pulley will take the position shown by the heavy lines, 
and will not be in a straight line from one pulley to the 
other. The edge A C will be drawn tighter than the edge 
BD; the bearing C D is uniform, but the bearing at A is 
harder than at B. When the pulleys are turned on their 
axis it has a tendency to straighten the belt, and to make 



Mg. 


12 


































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


13 


The cause of an engine sometimes having one side lover 
than the other is that the weaker spring allows the engine 
to settle, and the spring on the opposite having more 
“life,” raises the engine, consequently more weight is 
thrown on the weaker spring, and the engine has a ten¬ 
dency to move in that direction, which crowds the wheel 
flange against the rail. This principle is demonstrated by 
cut, page 14, which represents a weight, one side of which 
is raised by means of a lever; this throws a large propor¬ 
tion of the weight on the point A, and the weight has a 
tendency, to move in the direction indicated by the arrow; 
in this case the lever represents the action of the “live” 
spring, and I think proves that an engine will crowd the 
wheel flange to the side which carries the weak spring. 
When a wheel flange begins to cut, it should have imme¬ 
diate attention, for when it is allowed to run in this man¬ 
ner until it is quite sharp, much more has to be turned 
from the face of the tire to entirely remove the groove 
worn by the rail at the base of the flange. 

The most serious difficulty attending sharp wheel 
flanges is the liability of derailment, caused by the sharp 
flange “climbing” the rail at low joints and at curves. 

When springs show weakness by allowing the engine 
to settle, the best way to proceed is to remove the weak 
spring, and substitute either a new one or one which has 
been re-set; for when a spring begins to lose its set, clip¬ 
ping it up gives but temporary relief from the trouble, as 
it will generally straighten out again after the engine has 
made a trip or two. But it is not always possible to re¬ 
place an old spring with a new one, as a sufficient num¬ 
ber of new springs are not always kept in stock, and 
where it is necessary to clip driving springs, the old-time 


( 14 ) 










































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


15 


U piece of iron may be placed between the upper surface of 
the spring: and the hanger gib, and where this is to be 
done at the back end of the forward driving springs, or 
at the forward end of the back springs, it can quickly and 
easily be done by the use of the little arrangement shown 
in Fig. 3, page 12. 

Take a piece of 1 iron and cut a slot in the end 

wide enough to take the top edge of the equalizer; bend 
it as shown at A, then as close to the straight end as pos¬ 
sible drill a hole about %" deep; into this insert a 
tempered steel pin having a sharp point; the end which 
contains this pin should be %" wide by high. Then 
make a hook as shown at A, of round iron, with 

straight part threaded; hook this under the equalizer, 
then slip the bent piece of flat iron over the top end and 
adjust it to the equalizer and spring as shown at B. By 
screwing down the nut the end of the spring will be low¬ 
ered when the U piece can be inserted from the opposite 
side of the hanger from which the pin rests. 

When it is desirable to remove the gib from the equal¬ 
izer post w r e use a tool of which the following is a de- 
scri'ption, and obtain good results: 

The best tool we have been able to And for the purpose 
mentioned, is to take a piece of square steel and 

have it bent as in cut A, page 16. This piece has a boss on 
top, through which passes a steel screw B; the 

foot G can be made of either steel or iron, a small, sharp- 
pointed set-screw passing through it, as shown. This 
foot has small projection on bottom, as shown at D, 
which holds pin used in adjusting to engines of different 
built frames. This jack is placed in position by placing 
the long steel piece perpendicularly beside air cylinder, 


16 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


close to engine frame, allowing the hook at top to drop 
over between equalizer and fire-box; this allows the tem¬ 
pered point of large screw to rest on top edge of equalizer. 




























Locomotive Running Repairs. 


17 


The foot is then slipped up an upright piece until point 
of small set-screw strikes bottom of lower rail of engine 
frame, and fastened in this position by driving home the 
wedge. As pressure is applied to point of large screw, 
the point of small set-screw is pressed into frame, which 
prevents it from slipping. The hook at top prevents the 
arrangement from slipping there, and the equalizer can 
easily be screwed down as far as desired. 

This contrivance can be easily and quickly set, and is 
absolutely safe. We believe that safety and dispatch in 
doing the work should be considered while making tools, 
rather than original cost, for a good tool soon pays for 
itself. 

When weak engine truck springs allow the engine to set¬ 
tle too much in front, a fiat iron ring made in halves is often 
put in the female center casting to raise the engine; this 
is not a good practice, as by this means the engine is only 
raised away from the truck, and the truck frame is as near 
the top of the truck boxes as it was before. In case it is 
really necessary to clip an engine truck spring, it should 
be done by placing the clip between the upper surface of 
the spring pocket and the lower surface of the truck 
frame; for in this way the distance between the truck 
frame and engine remains the same, and the truck frame 
is raised away from the top of the truck boxes. 

When one side of the pilot of an eight-wheeled engine 
is very high from the rail, and the opposite side is very 
low, those in charge often order the truck spring on the 
lower side out, and a new one substituted. Now this may 
often be the case when neither spring is weak, the fault 
being the weakness of the back driving spring on the low 
side, and by replacing this with a good spring the engine 






























Locomotive Running Repairs. 


19 


is raised at that point, and lowered at the opposite for¬ 
ward point, and the engine is thus brought level. 

For the removal and renewal of back driving springs, 
the use of the following described little tool will be found 
very satisfactory: 

The enclosed rough sketch will enable you to form 
some idea of it, I think. A, cut, page 18, represents the 
body of jack, made of l"x \%" iron; the top end, through 
which the screw passes, we made 1 thick, with 2" 

face. 

The screw B we made of steel l^'xS". These, 
with two steel straps C C, and a steel block D, con¬ 
stitute the jack. The steel block D we fluttd on the 
edge, .which enables it to take a firm hold of the spring 
hanger. The fluted face of this block is l"x 2". The 
two straps C C we made of spring steel l^", and 
pinned one each side of body A and block Z),with %"x 
steel pins, allowing bcdy and block to move freely be¬ 
tween them. We put %" spring cotters through the ends 
of these pins, as they can be more easily removed than 
nuts. 

To remove a spring with this jack, first raise the 
back end of equalizer as high as possible, and block it 
there. Then remove pin A, cut, page 20, leaving the other 
pin in place, pass a strap each side of spring hanger, from 
the front , and connect straps again to body A. When the 
hardened point of screw is applied to driving spring, the 
body A and block D are firmly clamped to spring hanger, 
holding it rigidly in place; at the same time the driving 
spring is compressed, rendering the removal of gib easy. 
As the screw is slacked off, after the removal of gib, the 
jack will roll on hanger at the point wTiere straps G C are 













































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


21 


connected to body A, and thus conform to upward and 
forward motion of the back end of driving spring, as the 
pressure is removed, thereby preventing the point of 
screw T from slipping off the spring. 

The front driving springs may be quickly and safely re¬ 
moved and applied by the use of the following described 
tool: 

It will readily be seen that the jack used for removing 
back springs cannot be used for the removal of front 
springs, owing to the lack of space between the top of 
front spring and boiler. 

I have removed front springs by the use of a chain and 
bar. Have also used a jack with chain attached to it, but 
I have knowm several cases w here men have been injured 
by the chains breaking. 

To avoid this danger, in place of chains I use iron strips 
%"'s. 2" (^4, cut, page 22). These strips are each in tw r o 
parts, the longer piece being offset to receive the shorter 
one, which, when they are pinned together, leave the inside 
faces parallel when placed in position for removing 
spring. 

By drilling three holes in each piece these strips can be 
lengthened or shortened, as the different builds of engines 
may require. 

The long and short parts of each strip are pinned to¬ 
gether with % /A x steel pins, through the ends of 
which spring cotters pass. The lug B is jumped 
onto the face of the short piece, as shown by cut. Both 
the upper and lower edges of this lug should be rounded, 
as should be also the upper part of the slot through 
short piece C. 

The crosshead D, through which the screw passes, has 


39 a 




t " 

H-5X-H 




( 22 ) 










































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


23 


a 2" face, as shown at E. The wings of this head have 
l 2 V/ slots cut in them, as shown, to receive the long 

strips. 

The screw has square thread, is lj^x 8 y z " with a tem¬ 
pered steel point. 

A forward driving spring is removed with this device 
as follows: 

First jack the engine up until most of the weight is re¬ 
moved from the springs, then pass the strip to which the 
lug is attached up on the inside of engine frame, and hook 
the lug over the top of spring, as far forward as possible. 

Now pass the other strip up on the outside of engine 
frame, between driving wheel and frame, and hook it 
over end of lug. To prevent the apparatus from slipping 
down the spring towards the band, place a stick of the 
required length between the baud and lug, as shown 
at A (Fig. 2, page 16). After having placed this stick in 
position hook the wings of crosshead through the square 
slots in low r er ends of strips, and pass the screw and 
crosshead back under the pedestal brace, as shown in 
Fig. 2, page 16, andapply the point of screw to brace. 

This appliance is cheaply made, and there is no danger 
of it slipping or breaking, and injuring a person. 

It is quite a common thing to see the forward ends of 
driving spring equalizers much lower than the back ends. 
When this occurs, the forward driving springs should be 
examined; also the distance that the pilot stands from the 
rail should be noted; for if the forward driving springs are 
weak, the back springs pull the back ends of the equal¬ 
izers up, and from the fact of the fulcrum being in the 
center, the forward ends are lowered. Now, if the front 
end of the engine is too high, too much weight is thrown 


24 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


on the back driving springs, and the results described are 
again produced. When this occurs, substituting good 
forward driving springs for the weak ones, or removing 
clips from above the engine truck spring pockets, will 
bring the engine and equalizers level. 




CHAPTER IV. 


SETTING SLIDE VALVES. 

Nearly every work on locomotive maintenance has a 
rule lor setting valves, but not one mechanic in ten would 
follow to the letter any rule I have ever seen given while 
doing this work, and should a novice undertake to do 
this work with nothing but the rule as given to guide 
him, I am confident that he would not meet with success. 

The work of Angus Sinclair is as clear as any on this 
subject, and, as he says, “A person can better learn this 
work by taking part in it.” Now, in writing upon this 
subject I do not wish to be understood as criticising such 
writei s as Sinclair and Forney. Nor do I intend to teach 
any experienced machinists in this work; but what I wish 
to do is to tell the younger mechanics some of my own 
experience in this line, and to tell them in such a manner 
that, by taking this book and following the directions 
given, they will meet with fair success in setting loco¬ 
motive valves. 

We will assume that we have in the roundhouse a 
standard eight-wheeled engine, with cylinders 17 // x24 // , 
and that the valves of this engine have been reported as be¬ 
ing “out bad,” and we are to set them. Now, if there are 
no rollers upon which to turn the forward drivers, and 
the engine has to be pitched forward and backward, you 
should have two helpers to do this work. The first thing 






( 26 ) 






































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


27 


to be done is to “ gauge off ” the engine—that is, to mark 
on the valve stems the points at which the valves close 
the steam ports. While you are taking off the nuts 
which hold down the steam chest covers, have the help¬ 
ers disconnect the tender, and if the weather is cold they 
should run all the water from it into the pit, then push it 
outside. 

It is not necessary to lift the chest covers to the floor, 
but just raise each and let them rest on top of the studs; 
then by standing on the cylinder, with the feet close to the 
steam chest, a man can raise the outer edge of the cover 
and push the inner edge under the heads of the bolts 
which fasten the Cylinder saddle to the smoke arch, and 
the cover will remain in this tilted position. 

Now get two pieces of thin roofing tin, about 1" wide 
by 10" long, rivet these together at one end, using one 
rivet. They can then be opened and closed similar to a 
pair of shears. Then go to the side of the engine where 
the pins are nearest on the quarter (either up or 
down), and have the reverse lever moved until one port 
is opened; then put the loose ends of your tin shears 
into the open port and open the tins until they will 
span from end to end of the port. Now have the lever 
moved slowly , and stop when the edge of the valve will 
have pinched the tin so it can just be moved up and 
down; then put a prick punch mark on that part of the 
cylinder upon which the steam chest rests, and with a 
stiff steel tram, bent as shown at A, cut, page 26, and with 
the point on straight end in the punch mark on the cylinder, 
make a good deep mark on the valve stem with the point on 
bent end. When the valve stems are not coupled w T ith a 
“ stretcher ” (or right and left nut), this tram is best 


28 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


about 24" long. But when the stretcher is used the 
tram must be short enough to allow the stem to be 
scribed forward of the stretcher. Now remove the tin 
and have the lever moved until the other steam port is 
opened; then place the tin and repeat the operation just 
described. 

Now have the reverse lever put in the center or out- 
notch in the quadrant, and disconnect the forward end 
of the back-motion eccentric rod on the opposite side of 
the engine. A helper can then take hold of the bottom 
of the link and move the valve stem forward and back 
for you while you gauge off this valve. Now see that 
the wedges are set up sufficiently tight to allow the driv¬ 
ing boxes to move up and down freely. Then replace 
the steam chest covers and connect the eccentric rod. 

The back ends of the main rods should now be dis¬ 
connected, and the crossheads be moved forward until 
the pistons strike the forward cylinder heads. Then 
mark the edge of the guides at the point where the for¬ 
ward ends of the crossheads rest. Then move the cross¬ 
heads back until the pistons strike the back cylinder 
heads, and mark the guides at the point where the back 
end of the crosshead rests. These marks are called the 
striking points. Now connect the main rods. 

With a key seat rule now scribe a horizontal line along 
the valve stem, crossing the heavy lines made w T ith the 
valve tram and prick punch lightly where these lines 
cross. Then with a small pair of sharp-pointed dividers 
get the exact center between these punch marks, and punch 
this center on the horizontal line. Now move the reverse 
lever until the valve tram will reach from the punch 
mark on the cylinder to this central punch mark, and see 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 29 

if the outside rocker*arm is at right angles to the guides. 
This can generally be done by measuring from the back 
of the guide yoke first to the center of the rocker-shaft, 
then to the center of the pin in back end of the valve 
stem. If these measurements are equal the stem is the 
proper length. If they are not, the stem must be length¬ 
ened or shortened the amount that the center of the valve 
stem pin is forward or back of the center of the rocker- 
shaft. 

Look the engine over carefully now, and be sure that 
all bolts and nuts are securely in place, and you are then 
ready for action with the pinch bars. 

Now, as the engine is standing under the smoke-jack, 
it is handier, I think, to back the engine while taking the 
dead centers, and to facilitate matters, it is best to begin 
with the left pins on the lower forward eighth, for reasons 
which will be explained farther on. 

Now put the reverse lever in the full back motion, and 
pinch the engine backward until the front end of the 
crosshead is flush with the back edge of the oil slot in 
front end of guides. Then prick punch the forward guide 
block as at B, and insert one point of a small steel tram, 
bent as shown at C (the points of this tram should be 
about 6" apart); with the other point scribe a good 
plain line on the side of the crosshead. Then take a stiff 
steel tram, bent the same as the crosshead tram, with 
the points about 24" apart, and hold it in as near a level 
position as possible against the driver and wheel cover, 
prick punch the cover at D, insert one point, and with 
the other scribe a line across the tire as at E. 

Now hold one point of the crosshead tram in punch 
mark on guide block and pinch the engine back carefully. 


30 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


The mark scribed on the crosshead will then move for¬ 
ward of the other tram point, and for a moment stand 
stationary at the dead center. It will then start back¬ 
ward. Stop pinching the engine when this line on its 
backward journey exactly reaches the tram point. Then 
take your wheel tram and scribe the second line on the 
driving tire shown at F. Now with a pair of maphrodite 
calipers scribe a line intersecting those made with the 
wheel tram, about half an inch above the lower edge of 
the tire, and carefully prick punch the exact point where 
the lines cross, on the line which you last made get the 
exact center between the two punch marks, and with a 
piece of chalk draw a small circle around it. This is 
called the dead center mark, for when the engine is 
moved either backward or forward until the wheel tram 
will reach from the punch marks on the wheel cover to 
one of the marks obtained in the manner described the 
engine will be on the dead center. This operation must 
be-performed four times to get the forward and back 
centers on each side of the engine. We now have the 
left forward center mark, the next one to get is the right 
forward. This is done by working exactly as you just did 
to obtain the left forward one. Next comes the left back 
center; you get this in the same manner as you did the 
forward ones, except that you must prick punch the guide 
block in the back ends of the guides, and work with the 
crosshead at that point instead of at the forward ends. 
Now for the last center, which is the right back one. 
After having obtained this in like manner the engine will 
stand with the pins on the right side, a little below the 
back center. Now pinch the engine back until these 
pins are nearly on the lower quarter, then put the reverse 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


31 


lever in full forward gear and pinch the engine forward, 
holding one point of your wheel tram in the punch mark 
on the wheel cover. Stop pinching, and remove the 
pinch bars, when the other point will go fairly into the 
center mark on the tire which has the circle around it. 

Now take the tram with the straight end with which 
you marked the valve stem, and with the point on the 
straight end in the punch mark on the cylinder, scribe a 
light line on the valve stem. Now pinch the engine for¬ 
ward again and go to the left side, catch the back center 
and mark the stem; then go to the right side again and 
get the forward center, and with the valve tram make the 
second light mark on the valve stem. Now with the 
small dividers see if the two last lines scribed on the 
stem are an equal distance from the center point between 
the two punch marks; if they are, the eccentric rod 
is the proper length. If they are not equally distant 
from the center mark, put one point of the dividers on 
the center mark and bring the other divider point to the 
light line, which is the nearer to the center point; then 
turn the divider point toward the light line, which is the 
farther from the center point, and note the difference. 
One-half of this difference is what the length of the eccen¬ 
tric rod must be changed; if the line nearest the center 
point is forward of it the rod must be lengthened one-half of 
the difference shown; if it is bach of it the rod must be short¬ 
ened one-half of the difference. Now I consider it good pol¬ 
icy to adjust each eccentric rod to the proper length as you 
go along, for this reason: We are now working on the 
right side of the engine, and the pins are on the forward 
dead center; in this position the eccentric rods are not 
crossed, as they would be if the engine was on the back 


32 Locomotive Running Repairs. 

center, and we can easily get the bolts out of the back 
ends of the rods and slot the holes in the straps if they 
require it; this we could not do if the engine was on the 
back center, for the rods would then be crossed, and if 
you wait before making the changes until you And what 
each rod requires, you will have to do much more pinch¬ 
ing to get the engine into the proper positions to allow 
the bolts to be removed should the holes require slotting, 
aud this is the reason why it is best, when you start to 
take the dead center points, to begin with the left pins 
on the forward center and pinch the engine backward 
and get the left forward center flrst; for then when you 
are ready to change the forward rods the pins will always 
be on the forward centers, and if you And that the holes 
in the straps require slotting you can remove the bolts 
and slot the holes, and then you can always remove the 
bolts from the back rods and slot the holes in the straps. 
After you have adjusted a rod, always pinch the engine 
nearly a quarter of a turn in the opposite direction from 
which you caught the dead center point, for by so doing 
all lost motion in the working parts of the engine will be 
taken up when you pinch the engine to its original posi¬ 
tion again; catch the center and see if the adjustment 
is correct. When the adjustment is correct note the 
lead shown. The lead is the distance that each light 
tram mark on the stem is outside of the port closing lines 
when the eccentric rod is the proper length. Should the 
light tram marks come inside of the port closing lines 
after the rod has been adjusted to the proper length, it is 
called blind, the distance from tram mark to port closing 
line. 

Now to return to our work. When we have the right 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


33 


forward rod properly adjusted, we pinch the engine for¬ 
ward again and go to the left side. Catch the forward 
center and scribe the second light line on this valve stern. 
Adjust this forward rod as just described, and note the 

lead. 

Now pinch the engine forward nearly a quarter of a 
revolution, put the reverse lever in full back motion, 
and, pinching the engine back ward, hud the proper length 
of each back rod, and note the lead on each side as soon 
as each rod has been properly adjusted. The requisite 
amount of lead can now be given the engine by moving 
the eccentrics on the shaft. Never move an eccentric on 
the shaft until the rod is the proper length. If the 
work has been carefully performed as described, the en¬ 
gine will be square in full forward and ba«k motion. 
The engine now stands with the right pins on the back 
center. Put the reverse lever in the second notch in the 
quadrant forward of the center, or “out” notch, and 
pinch the engine forward, holding the valve tram in the 
punch mark on the right cylinder. Stop pinching when 
the point on bent end of tram will go fairly into the port 
closing line on the valve stem, and with a pair of dividers 
measure the distance from the striking point on back 
end of guides to the back end of crosshead, and write 
this measurement down. Then go to the left side, pinch 
engine forward until tram point will go fairly into the 
back port closing line on stem, and measure the distance 
from the back striking point on guides to the back end of 
crosshead. 

Care must be taken to mark down each measurement. 
Now go to the right side again and pinch the engine for¬ 
ward until tram point will go into the forward port clos- 


34 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


ing line, and measure the distance the crosshead will 
have traveled backward from the forward striking point. 
Now if this distance is not exactly equal to the distance 
the crosshead traveled from the back striking point 
when steam was cut off, then the cylinder is receiving 
more steam in one end than the other. For instance, if 
from back point be 6", and from the forward point be 
8 // , the cylinder is receiving 2 // more steam in the front 
end than in the back end; to make it work evenly the 
distance must be V' from each point. To do this, pinch 
the engine backward until the crosshead is near the for¬ 
ward end of stroke. Set your dividers to 7", and with 
one point in punch mark on forward end of guide, pinch 
the engine forward until the forward end of crosshead 
has traveled backward the distance your dividers will 
span. Now with the valve tram make a light mark on 
the valve stem. The line in the present instance will 
come just forward of the front port closing line, and the 
distance between the two lines will be what the forward 
eccentric rod needs shortening to make the steam cut off 
from each end of the cylinder at 1" travel of crosshead, 
provided the rocker-arms are of equal length. Should 
the upper arm be longer than the lower arm, as is often 
the case, the amount to change the rod will be a little 
less than the distance between the two lines on the valve 
stem. When the forward end of the cylinder receives 
the greater amount of steam the eccentric rod must be 
shortened. When more steam is admitted to the back 
end of cylinder the rod must be lengthened. And wheiK 
the difference is not too great the rods can thus be changed 
to bring the engine square, when “hooked up,” without 
materially affecting it while working full stroke. As- 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


35 


suming that we have adjusted the right forward rod to 
make the crosshead travel equal, we will now go to the 
left side of the engine, and, pinching the engine for¬ 
ward, ascertain the distance this crosshead will travel 
from the forward striking point when steam is cut off. 
If the distances from front and back points are unequal, 
adjust the rod as just described. Having done this, see 
if the distances the crosshead travels from the left strik¬ 
ing points are equal to those on the right side of the 
engine. If they are not, one side of the engine is work¬ 
ing more steam than the other. This may be remedied 
by raising the tumbling shaft arm, or shortening the link 
hanger on the side working the greater amount of steam. 
Or what is easier, and most frequently done, is to put 
shims between the tumbling shaft box and frame on the 
side using the most steam. 

The amount of shim to be used can only be determined 
on trial, though usually every J/' of shim will reduce the 
cross-head travel about . It is seldom necessary to run 
an engine over “hooked up” in the back motion. Be sure 
that the back eccentric rods are the proper length when 
the engine is working full stroke, and also that the ec¬ 
centrics are so placed on the shaft that the valves have 
an equal amount of lead. Then follow closely the direc¬ 
tions just given for running the engine over with the re¬ 
verse lever in the second notch forward of out notch, 
and I think 1 that you will not be troubled with the engine 
not sounding square. 


CHAPTER V. 


FLANGE WEAK. 

Probably one of the most difficult matters with which 
roundhouse foremen have to contend in the line of run¬ 
ning repairs is the wear of driver and truck wheel flanges. 

It is difficult in this way: where a wheel has been allowed 
to run to one rail more than to the other until the flange 
lias become sharp, and a groove worn in the face of the 
tire, it is oftentimes a very difficult matter to get the tire 
to bear on the rail out of this groove. 

The flange of a driving tire wears sharp owing gen¬ 
erally to one of two causes. Either the engine is low on } 
its springs at that point, or the drivers are not square 
with the engine frames, or, as it is generally expressed, j 
they are out of tram with the engine frames. In cases 
where only one driving tire is wearing the flange sharp 
(as often occurs) there is very little doubt that the en¬ 
gine is low on that spring, and is crowding that flange 
to the rail, though if the wear is noticed on either of the 
front drivers it may be caused by a weak engine truck 
spring on the side where the flange is cutting. As soon 
as the marks on a tire indicate that the flange is running 
close to the rail it should have immediate attention, for 
this is one of the jobs which it does not pay to put off 
until a more convenient time, for if action is taken as soon 
as the difficulty is discovered the proper remedy may be 
applied, viz.: either raising the engine at the proper points 
or throwing the wheels in the proper direction, and the 




Locomotive Running Repairs. 


37 


trouble be easily overcome. But where a person is care¬ 
less, and neglects to apply the remedy as soon as the need 
of it is discovered, it takes but a very short time for the 
rail to wear a groove in the tread of the tire and wear the 
flange sharp, and where this exists to any extent the 
safety of the traveling public demands that the drivers 
be removed and the tires be turned. And in a ma¬ 
jority of the shops this means taking the engine out of 
service for a week or ten days, at the least calculation, 
whereas had it been taken in time, the whole difficulty 
might have been remedied in twenty minutes or one- half 
hour. 

In cases of driving flange wear, the old adage, “A stitch 
in time saves nine,” is certainly true. Cases are quite 
numerous where one of the back driving flanges will be¬ 
gin to cut. Where this occurs, the height of the engine 
at this point, in comparison with the height the engine 
stands from the other driving-boxes, should be noted. It 
will generally be found that the engine is low at the driver 
which carries the cut flange, and removing or clipping 
up the driving spring will remedy the evil; but after the 
flange is made to run free from the rail it should be care¬ 
fully watched for some time, to see that the engine does 
not settle at this point, for it will wear itself away faster 
than would be imagined if allowed to come in contact 
with the rail the second time. 

Suppose that both drivers on one side of an eight¬ 
wheeled engine are cutting, and the distance between the 
bottom part of the spring saddles and top part of the en¬ 
gine frames are about equal on each side, it would be 
safe to conclude that the main axles are not square with 
the frames. The first thing to ascertain in a case of this 


38 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


kind is whether the center casting, which rests in the en¬ 
gine truck center casting, is in an exact central position 
between the engine frames. In case it is not centrally 
located it should be changed to that position, for when 
it is out of center it often causes both the driving flanges 
and engine truck flanges to wear sharp. And right here 
let me say that I am not an advocate of what is commonly 
called a swing beam engine truck, that is, one having a 
movable center casting; for my observation leads me to 
believe that engines having the swing beam trucks wear 
the flanges of both the engine truck wheels and forward 
drivers more than do engines having the rigid trucks, 
when the engine is kept away from the side bearings of 
same. 

Now to return to the case in hand: Should the center 
casting be centrally located the trouble is surely not there, 
and to ascertain if it is caused by the driving axles being 
out of square with the engine frames, first set up the 
wedges until the driving-boxes will just move between 
the shoe and wedge, then clamp a straight-edge about 
just eight feet long flatwise on top of the engine frames, 
forward of the tumbling shaft boxes, and perfectly 
square with the frame on each side. Now see that the 
distances from the main centers to the top of the engine 
frames are equal on each side of the engine. To ascer¬ 
tain this, use a small tool shown in Fig. 1, page 39, made of 
%" steel. (See Fig. 2 for dimensions). Place the driver so 
that a spoke will be in a perpendicular position, and di¬ 
rectly in line with the center of the spring saddle, then 
pass a leg of the tool mentioned on each side of the spoke 
and saddle. Hold the flat side of the legs firmly on top 
of the frame and set the pointer to the main center; now 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


39 


remove the gauge without disturbing the pointer and try 
the other side. In case the two distances are not the 
same raise the low side of the engine until they are the 
same, then prick-punch the back edge of the straight¬ 
edge you have clamped forward of the tumbling shaft 





















































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


41 


boxes an equal distance outside of each frame, and from 
these punch marks tram to the center of the forward 
driving wheels, and I think that you will find the center 
of the driving wheel having the cut flange farther from 
the straight-edge than that of the opposite driver. Per¬ 
chance this can more readily be understood by reference to 
cut, page 40, representing in an exaggerated manner the po¬ 
sition of a pair of drivers under the conditions mentioned. 
The forward part of the engine being indicated by the 
dart, the straight-edge A clamped to the frames. Now if 
wheel B is farther from the straight-edge, when placed 
as described, than is wheel C , the flange of wheel B will 
be crowded to the rail at point D when the engine is mov¬ 
ing forward, and the flange of wheel C will hug the rail 
at point E when the engine is running backward; but as 
engines usually run forward more than backward the left 
drivers in the case under consideration would show the 
greater amount of flange wear. To remedy the evil, 
either the right drivers must be thrown back, or the left 
wheel forward, to bring a line through their centers par¬ 
allel w T ith the straight-edge, and a good way to proceed is 
to either remove liner from the left shoe or to plane from 
the face of it about two-thirds the amount that the wheel 
center shows out with the straight-edge. Then add to 
the wedge the same amount of liner that was either planed 
from the face of the shoe or was taken from it by the 
removal of liner. Now t if the distance between the for¬ 
ward and back drivers were the same on both sides of 
the engine, this same operation must be performed with 
the left back shoe and wedge; this will bring the drivers 
again in tram, and both pairs will be square with the en¬ 
gine frames, and I think would give no more trouble. 





( 42 ) 





























Locomotive Running Repairs. 


43 


Should the engine truck wheel flanges begin cutting, 
see that the engine truck springs hold the forward part 
of the engine level, and that the male center casting is 
centrally located between the engine frames, as previously 
mentioned. If so, take off the pilot and run the truck 
out. If it is a truck with a swinging center casting, place 
a piece of thin board tightly within the casting, and on 
this board get the exact center of the casting. Now drop 
the binders and jack up the frame until the bottom of the 
jaws is nearly to the top of the boxes. Then scribe on 
top of the frame the face line of each jaw. This may be 
done,by the use of three short straight-edges. Next 
place the center casting in an exact central position be¬ 
tween the ends and sides of the truck frame. Now, refer¬ 
ring to cut on page 42, see that the distances from the points 
A to ' E, B to E, C to E and D to E are equal. If they 
are not equal it shows that either the jaws are not bolted 
to the frame in the proper positions, or that the truck 
frame is not square, and one or both pairs of truck wheels 
are not square with the frame, producing the same evil 
which exists with the pair of drivers represented by cut, 
page 40, and means should be taken to make the distances 
from central point E to the center of the truck-boxes 
equal. After this is accomplished, ask the master me¬ 
chanic to allow you to block the casting in this position; 
the results obtained from thus blocking it would, I be¬ 
lieve, be very gratifying to you both. 

If the trucks under tenders are squared in the manner 
just described, and the tenders are kept level on their 
springs, and away from the side bearings, I think that 
there will be very little trouble caused by the wheels hav¬ 
ing sharp flanges. 


CHAPTER VI. 


SHOES AND WEDGES. 

The subject of shoes and wedges in a general way 
might, perchance, come more properly under the head of 
general repairs, or back shop repairs, as it is quite fre¬ 
quently expressed. 

However, it often occurs that work comes into the 
roundhouse which makes it necessary that the man who 
does the work should have a thorough knowledge of a 
correct way to line and fit up shoes and wedges, as prac¬ 
ticed in the machine shop where engines go for general 
repairs. Right here let me say that I consider it a mis¬ 
taken idea to suppose that most any kind of a workman 
is good enough for the roundhouse, as the class of work¬ 
men seen in some roundhouses would seem to indicate, 
for there is scarcely a day passes which does not bring to 
the roundhouses work which, if done quickly and in a 
proper manner, requires the brightest and best mechanics 
obtainable. 

We will suppose that an engine with a broken driving 
brass comes into the roundhouse for repairs, and after 
the drivers are removed it may be found that the shoes, 
wedges and boxes are cut so badly as to necessitate fac¬ 
ing. In a case of this kind it certainly would not pay to 
put in the driving brass and not repair the shoes and 
wedges. After having removed the boxes, and gotten 
the work started on the brasses, the attention should be 
directed to the shoes and wedges. There is a diversity 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


45 


of opinion in regard to the best way of lining these up, 
some claiming that they should be lined square with lines 
placed through the centers of the cylinders. Others say 
that it is better to work from the male engine truck cen¬ 
ter casting. I have observed that better results follow 
working in the last mentioned manner, provided that the 
male center casting is in an exact central position be¬ 
tween the engine frames. The reason for this belief I 
will explain further on. 

The first thing to be considered when starting to line 
up a set of shoes and wedges is the condition of the ped¬ 
estal braces, and should these braces be bolted to the 
jaws as are those of the Baldwin and several other builds 
of engines, they should be bolted to place after the re¬ 
moval of the driving boxes, and care be taken that the 
slots in the braces closely fit the pedestals, or ends of the 
jaws. In case they do not fit they should be heated and 
the slots closed sufficiently to allow fitting with a coarse 
file. I consider it good policy to leave about -fa" space 
between the pedestals and bottoms of slots in brace after 
the brace has been drawn tight. This will allow the 
brace to again be drawn tight in case there is any wear 
on the sides of the slots in the braces. After the braces 
are fitted remove the driving springs and saddles, have 
the engine frames nicely cleaned, and give the face of 
each jaw a general bearing to a true surface plate. Now 
see that the center casting is centrally located between 
the engine frames. Should the shoes and wedges have 
liners in them they should be removed, and each shoe 
and wedge be placed in its proper position on the jaws, 
leaving the bottom of each wedge stand away from the 
pedestal brace about 14 ", and block firmly each shoe and 


It 





( 46 ) 



Fig. 






































































































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


47 


wedge to the face of the jaw. Now take two blocks of 
wood each about 2 // x4 // (.4. Fig. 1), and of such length 
that, when they are placed in an upright position, one on 
each forward pedestal brace, their upper ends will be 
about on a level with the bottom of the center casting. 
On top of these blocks place flatwise a true wooden 
straight edge B , and block its edge firmly against the 
faces of the shoes with stick C. On the upper surface of 
straight edge get the exact central point between the en¬ 
gine frames, and using this point as a center, lay off the 
diameter of the center casting Z>, and notch the back 
edge of straight edge where these lines come. Then clean 
off the bottom part of the center casting and pass a fine 
line around it, and carry the ends back to the straight 
edge, tie a light 'weight to each end, and drop the lines 
into the notches mentioned. (See Fig. 2). Now see if 
the straight edge is square with each line. If it is not 
square with the lines, shims should be placed between 
one end of the straight edge and face of shoe until it 
comes square. 

When shoes and wedges are squared from lines run¬ 
ning through the centers of the cylinders the straight 
edge is used as just described. The difficulty which 
arises is that the cylinders are very seldom exactly in 
line with the engine frames, and where they are not it is 
impossible to get the straight edge square with both 
lines, and where an effort is made to do so, and the shoes 
and wedges are lined from the straight edge in this posi¬ 
tion, the drivers are not square with the engine frames 
and center casting. This will cause flange wear to driv¬ 
ing and engine truck wheels. Then the latter method 
requires more labor, for it necessitates the removal of 
both pistons. 


48 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


Now to return to our line around the center casting. 
When the straight edge is perfectly square with both 
lines make a prick-punch mark E , Fig. 1, on the outside 
of the forward jaw on each side of the engine, an equal 
distance from the face of straight edge and top of the 
frames, and with a pair of trams transfer these punch 
marks to the same points on the back jaws Now through 
the first punch marks made scribe a line to, and square 
with the top of frames. Then scribe the face line of each 
shoe and wedge to the top of the frames, and at an equal 
distance from the top of each frame get the central 
point between the face lines and see if these central 
points are equally distant from the lines first scribed to 
top of frames. That is, see if the distances from lines 
F to points G, Fig. 1, are the same on each side of the 
engine. In case they are not equal, change the central 
points until they are equal. 

After these central points on the forward jaws are 
placed exactly in line with the straight edge as described, 
and the central points between the face lines of the back 
shoes and wedges have been made, tram from the forward 
to back points on each side; the back points may have to 
be slightly changed to make these distances equal. The 
boxes should now be fitted to the journals, after which 
place a piece of wood A, Fig. 3, firmly between the brass 
and cellar, flush with the sides which bear against the 
wheel hubs when the boxes are in place. On these pieces 
of wood get the centers of the brasses, and transfer the 
shoe and wedge bearing faces of each box to the out¬ 
side faces by scribing lines B B. Now scribe line G 
squarely across the last two lines, and passing through 
the center mark on the piece of wood. Fig. 3 represents 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 49 

the outside face of the right forward box. With a pair 
of dividers now space the distance from the center mark 
to punch mark D , and scribe this on the frame towards 
point F, using point G as a center. The distance from 
face line of shoe to line H (the last one made), with 
what is needed planed from face of shoe to true it up, is 
the amount of liner required for that shoe. It is a good 
plan to write on the frame above each shoe and wedge 
the amount of liner each requires as each amount is as¬ 
certained. By so doing, all liners may be cut out at the 
same time. 

When finding the amount of liner required for the op¬ 
posite shoe, care must be taken to space the distance 
from the center mark to punch mark E on the left forward 
box. After the amount of liner for the shoe has been 
found, space with the dividers, the distance from punch 
marks I) to E, and using as a center the intersection of 
horizontal line H , Fig. 1, scribe line I; the distance from 
face line of wedge to the line /, together with what the 
wedge requires planed from face to true it up,’is the 
amount of liner needed for that wedge. 

After finding the amount of liner required for each 
shoe and wedge, take them down, cut out and fit each 
liner where it belongs; now replace the shoes and wedges 
on the jaws with the liners in them but not riveted, and 
place the straight edge in its former position; be very 
sure now that the distance from mark E to the straight 
edge is equal on each side, then scribe the lines J J 
down the frame and outside flange of each shoe and 
wedge, square with the top of frame. This mark should 
be made near enough to the face of each shoe and wedge 
to insure it being seen by the planer hand should he hold 


50 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


them in a chuck on the planer. Now with a pair of raor- 
phrodite calipers get the distance from the straight edge 
to lines J on the shoes, and scribe it from the straight 
edge on the inside flange of each shoe, then set the 
points of a pair of dividers to the lines J J , and taking 
the lines on the inside flange of the shoes for centers, 
scribe a line on the inside flange of each wedge, remove 
the straight edge now from the forward jaws, and block 
it to the shoes on the back jaws, and see that the dis¬ 
tance is the same on each side from the straight edge 
to the marks which were transferred from the forward 
to the back jaws. Then from the straight edge lay off 
the inside of each back shoe, and wedge in exactly the 
same manner as just described for the forward ones, i 
Now if each shoe and wedge is chucked on the planer to 
mark J, and mark on inside flange when finished, and 
then put in their places on the jaws, their faces will be . 
square with the top of frames and the lines from the $ 
center casting. To insure that no more be planed from « 
the faces than necessary, the distance should be given * 
the planer hand from line H to J for each shoe, and from 
I to J for each wedge, and after the planing is done, | 
lines J remain as proof lines, and will show whether the 
planing has been properly done or otherwise. After 
each shoe and wedge is planed, replace the liners in each 
just as they were when they were laid off, and rivet 
them there, using but two rivets near the top of each; 
liners riveted in this manner will not buckle as they will 
when more rivets are used. 

After the liners are all riveted in, place each shoe and 
wedge in its proper position on the jaws, and block them 
firmly to face of jaws, and try if their faces are flush 



Locomotive Running Repairs. 


51 


■with lines H and I, are square with the top of frames, and 
parallel with each other; if so, give each a general bear¬ 
ing with a file to a true face-plate (use no scraper), after 
which true the shoe and wedge bearing faces of each 
box, using as a face-plate each shoe and wedge where it 
belongs in the box; they are then ready for service. If 
the directions as given are closely followed it will not lie 
necessary to try the boxes in the jaws previous to wheel¬ 
ing the engine, and the wedges can be adjusted after the 
wheels are in place. 


CHAPTER VII. 


DRIVING-BOXES. 

When an engine is undergoing general repairs, special 
attention should be given to the driving-boxes and driv¬ 
ing-brasses, to see that they are fitted up in first-class or¬ 
der. If any part of the work is slighted do not let these 
parts come in for their share, for nothing is more discour¬ 
aging to a good engineer tban to have his engine pound in 
the driving-boxes and brasses, and a renewal is the only 
remedy where the brass is too large for the journal, and 
if the box closes, or the wedge is not the proper taper, 
the play of the box between the shoe and wedge cannot 
be taken up by setting up the wedge. These evils can be 
overcome only by removing the box, which necessitates 
trouble and expense. 

Some engineers, and foremen too, for that matter, in 
cases of this kind advocate planing the wedge until it has 
the proper taper to overcome the play of the box between 
the shoe and wedge. This I consider poor policy, for 
reasons which I will hereafter give. When an engine 
comes into the machine shop for general repairs, after 
having been in service for two or three years, the driv¬ 
ing-boxes, shoes and wedges are in a majority of cases 
very much in need of repairs; the shoes and wedges 
need lining and facing, the boxes will need planing, 
and the brasses will generally require renewing, or in 
case they are heavy enough they will be too large 
for the journals, or be loose in the box. When there 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


53 


is plenty of material in the brasses, and they are too 
large for the journals and loose in the boxes, it some¬ 
times pays (when everything else is equal) to shim the 
brasses light in the boxes, this will also close them to 
the journals, but in most cases this shimming does not pay. 
I think that the better plan is to put in new brasses while 
the opportunity is offered. Where the brasses to be re¬ 
newed are of a solid pattern, in the form of a half circle, 
the box should first be planed out to a true circle, leaving 



the distances from the crown to the points A A (see cut), 
about T : g inch greater on the side which is to go rext to 
the hub of the driver; this will prevent the brass from 
working out of the box, should it become slightly loose, 
and this distance should be great enough to allow 7 that 
part of t e brass which rests in the points A A to le from 
| inch to 1 inch below the center after the brass is bored 
to the required size. The outside of the brass sh "uld now 
be either planed in the slotter, or turned to the size that 










54 Locomotive Running Repairs. 

<1 

the box was finished, then the brass may be fitted to the 
box by planing from the edges which are to bear in the 
points AAsl sufficient amount to allow the brass to go 
into the box the last inch at about twenty tons pressure; 
this will generally spread the bottom part of the box 
about jJg inch. Now, at about the point represented by 
the dotted lines, and centrally between the flanges, bore 
a one-inch hole through box and brass on each side, and 
into these holes put brass plugs, making a good driving 
fit. The brasses should now be bored out to fit the jour¬ 
nals before the cellars are fitted into the boxes. Boring 
the brasses generally allows the bottom of the boxes to 
close about -fa inch, if the brass is put in under the press¬ 
ure mentioned, and this leaves the top of box ^ inch nar¬ 
rower than the bottom part; this causes the part which 
contains the cellar to be a trifle wider at the bottom than 
at the top, provided that the sides of this opening were 
originally planed parallel; this makes the removal of the 
cellar easy after it is started, even if it is very tight when 
up to place. 

Some builders cast the boxes with a slot across the 
sides of the openings which contain the cellars, and in 
some cases these slots are also cast in the cellars. When 
the cellars are in place this leaves openings from side to 
side of the boxes, as shown at B (see cut), and a rib at top 
and bottom of both box and cellars. I do not like this 
plan, for in replacing a cellar the top will strike against 
the bottom of the top rib on the box, if the cellar tips in 
the least A good way to overcome this evil is to plane 
out about H inch wide from each end of each rib on cel¬ 
lars and boxes, liners can then be riveted on, of the re¬ 
quired thickness to make the cellars tight in the boxes, 



Locomotive Running Repairs. 


55 


and both sides of the cellars and boxes will appear as 
shown at C, and the cellars will be sure to go straight to 
their places, if entered properly. Now, fit the brasses to 
the journals, being careful to make that part which comes 
below the center of the journal, when the box is in place, 
exactly the size that the journal is in diameter. 

After the brass has been brought to a general bearing 
on the journal, I think it a good practice to file from the 
crown a place about inch wide and 3 ^ inch deep; this 
insures a good bearing on the sides to start with; after 
the brasses fit the cellars, and they being fa inch taper 
will go nearly up to their places before becoming tight, 
they should be fitted tight enough so that when they are 
up to their places the box cannot close a particle, and still 
not be tight enough to spread the box. Now, with the 
cellars in place, plane the shoe, and wedge bearing faces 
of the boxes, leaving each side an equal distance from the 
center of the brass, and perfec tly parallel with each other. 

Now, a word in regard to not being able to take up the 
lost motion of boxes between the shoes and wedges by 
setting the wedges up. As previously mentioned, the 
cause of this trouble is that either the shoes and wedges 
have not been planed parallel, or that the shoe and wedge 
bearing faces of the box are not parallel; the latter is 
generally the case. Now, if a brass is pressed into a box 
at twenty tons pressure, and the shoe and wedge bearing 
faces are planed before the brass is bored out, or the cel¬ 
lars fitted, when the brass is bored out the bottom of the 
box will close; this throws the planed faces out of paral¬ 
lel, and the box is in the condition represented in an ex¬ 
aggerated manner by cut, p. 56, and if the wedge has been 
planed square with the top of frame it will stand in the 


5G Locomotive Running Repairs. 

position shown at A, and any attempt to set it up will 
cause it to strike between the box and frame at the top, 
leaving the bottom loose, and, if the top is planed off to 
fit the box, it will be as shown at B, aDd the box cannot 
work freely between the shoe and wedge. Should a driv¬ 
ing spring become w r eak, and let the frame down a little, 
the box will pound between the shoe and wedge, and 
should any unevenness in the track cause the box to low¬ 



er, it will stick. But boxes sometimes get into the condi¬ 
tion just described when the shoe and wedge bearing faces 
were parallel when the engine was first turned out of the 
shop, and this is ow 7 ing to the cellar not having been fit¬ 
ted in the proper manner at the start, or having been filed 
smaller by some roundhouse man the first time the box 
was packed after going into service- I have heard of 
men reducing the cellars after the engine came out of the 
machine shop, so that they would not have so much 
trouble while packing them. This I consider very poor 












* 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 57 

policy, for this reason: As the brass wears, the tendency 
of the box is to close in at the bottom, if it has been put 
in under sufficient pressure to hold it tight in the box, 
and when the cellar is loose the box closes to it, and the 
evils described are produced. 

Allowing a driving-brass to run hot is a more serious 
tiling than some engineers appear to realize, for it is 
sometimes, and where it becomes very hot it is in a ma¬ 
jority of cases, followed by evils which can only be rem¬ 
edied by the removal of the box. The trouble referred to 
is the journal boring out the brass, and is produced as 
follows: The first things to become heated are the jour¬ 
nal and brass. When heated, they expand; the box, being 
cold, does not expand, and is held tightly between the 
shoe and wedge, if properly fitted up, and does not give 
as the journal expands; the consequence is that the jour¬ 
nal cuts its way in the brass until it has become free. 
Most engineers will remember that in most instances of 
hot driving-boxes small particles of brass will be seen, 
wdiich have worked out from between the box and the 
wheel hub. When the journal cools off it will resume its or¬ 
iginal size; the brass is then too large, and the journal w r ill 
pound from side to side when the engine is working hard; 
but some one may say, “ When a driving-brass heats and 
expands, the box will stick between the shoe and wedge, 
and a good engineer w T ili at once pull the wedge down a 
little, to allow r the box to work freely.” True, he may 
do this, but this does not prevent the journal and brass 
expanding faster than the box, in wdiich case the journal 
is sure to cut its way in the brass. 

In some shops they take up the lateral motion caused 
by the faces of the boxes against the wheel hubs by plan- 



58 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


ing from the inside flange of each shoe and wedge where 
it bears on the jaw, and putting a liner on the outside 
flange; this crowds the box towards the hub face, and 
takes up the lateral motion, but at the same time the size 
of the shoe and wedge has been thrown out of standard, 
and the spring saddle will not stand an equal distance 
from the inside and outside of the frame. I think that 
care should at all times be taken to keep all parts to a 
standard size, for where this is not done it causes much 
trouble where many engines are to be kept in repair. A 
better way to do in the case cited would be to measure the 
distance between the driver hubs, and from outside to 
outside of engine frames, and find whether the wear was 
from the face of the box or from the driver hubs. The 
liner should then be put where needed to keep all parts 
to standard dimensions. This is best, I think, even if the 
face of the box has to be planed off, or that of the wheel 
hub turned to allow for a liner of sufficient thickness to 
warrant it remaining in place. 

While speaking of liners for this purpose, I will say 
that I have seen very good results follow facing the hubs 
of engine truck and driving-wheels, and also the faces of 
the driving-boxes with babbitt metal, and the 'difference 
in labor would, I think, make the use of this metal cheaper 
than turning and riveting on brass plates. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


WASHING BOILERS. 

One of the most important parts of roundhouse work 
is the regular and thorough washing of locomotive boil¬ 
ers. There is no part of a locomotive which should 
have more care and attention, but at the same time there 
is no part of an engine which is so liable to be overlooked 
and injured as the boiler. To insure the boilers being 
regularly washed, some means should be taken by which 
a correct record can be kept of each time a boiler is 
washed. A very good way to do this is to give the boil¬ 
er washer a book in which to put the date each boiler is 
washed. At the end of each week he can present his 
book to the roundhouse foreman, who may from it make 
a weekly report to the master mechanic, giving the num¬ 
ber of each engine, and date the boiler was washed. 
These reports could be placed on file for reference. By 
referring to a book kept in this manner the boiler washer 
could wash each boiler after a lapse of any specified 
time, and if an engine came in which did not run regu¬ 
larly into the roundhouse where he worked, he could 
wash it, and keep a record of it, for boilers are more 
liable to be neglected than washed too often. The length 
of time a boiler should be allowed to run before wash¬ 
ing depends materially upon the locality in which the 
engine runs. Those running in localities where the water 
contains but little sulphate and carbonate of lime need 
not be washed but about once in two weeks, but where 


(50 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


the water used contains ingredients which produce hard 
scale, the boiler should not be allowed to go longer 
than one week without washing; and I have seen water 
used which produced scale so rapidly that it was very 
necessary to wash the boiler after each trip. To ob¬ 
tain the best results, hot water should be used while 
washing a boiler, for the reasons that hot water will 
more readily remove scale, and it is not so injurious to 
the boiler as cold water. Cold water thrown into a hot 
boiler produces sudden contraction, and consequent strain 
upon all parts. In cases where steam cannot be had for 
heating the water, and the time for washing is limited, 
a good way to proceed is to blow the steam off, and run 
in cold water until the boiler is completely full, then 
open the blow-off cock and allow the hot water to run 
out but little faster than the cold water is forced in; in 
this way the boiler can be cooled quite rapidly, and sud¬ 
den contraction be avoided. After the boiler is com¬ 
paratively cool, wash with not less than 100 pounds 
pressure. A good way to provide hot water for washing 
purposes is to run a permanent steam pipe through the 
roundhouse from the pumping or stationary boiler; if the 
house is heated with steam this pipe may lay in the pit 
with the heater pipes, but a better way is to place it at 
a sufficient height from the floor to clear the engine’s 
stacks, for by this means less trouble will occur from 
condensation. Branch steam pipes should be put in 
from this main pipe to each hydrant; connect as shown 
by Fig. 1. Take a gas pipe tee, one end and the side 
opening of which is the size that the water stand pipe 
calls for; the other end should be the size desired for 
the branch steam pipe, and this pipe should be one size 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


61 


smaller than the main pipe from the boiler. Now take 
a piece of pipe the size of the smaller encl of the tee, 
and swedge down one end as represented by Fig. 2; the 
diameter of the openings in the ends of this pipe should 
be in about the proportion of %" to ; cut thread 
enough on the larger end to take a check nut and elbow 
after it is screwed through the smaller end of the tee 




from the inside. When in position the small end of this 
nozzle should be in line with the center of the water 
pipe, as shown in Fig. 1. Attach the tee to the hydrant 
pipe at the side opening, and put the hydrant cock in 
the opposite end from the steam nozzle. A globe valve, 
should be put in the water pipe below the tee, by means 
of which the water supply can be regulated. With this 
arrangement good results may be obtained with from 80 
















































62 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


pounds to 90 pounds steam pressure, and after the wash¬ 
ing is completed the boiler can be filled with hot water, 
which will facilitate matters where the engine is wanted 
for immediate use. 

When washing a boiler not provided with a mud drum 
or hand hole in the bottom of front sheet of shell, the 
washout plugs should always be removed from the front 
flue sheet, but where the boiler is equipped with the ap¬ 
pliances mentioned the removal of the flue sheet plugs is 
not so essential. All other plugs and hand hole plates 
should be removed each time the boiler is washed, and I 
consider it a good plan to remove the steam dome cap, 
also, for by thus doiDg incrustation can be loosened from 
the crown sheet, bars, and braces; the stream of water 
can be thrown directly on top of the crown sheet; this 
will wash the scale into the boiler legs, from whence it 
can be removed through the hand holes. 

When the washing is completed it is a good plan to ig¬ 
nite a piece of greasy waste, fastened to the end of a rod 
of sufficient length that the burning waste can be passed 
through the hand holes in the corners of fire-box, and 
every part of the side, back, and flue sheets be examined 
to be sure that every particle of deposit is removed from 
them and the mud ring. A torch of this kind should also 
be passed through the plug holes in the boiler head, the 
top of crown sheet and space between the crown bars 
can thus be examined. 

When preparing a boiler for service, after having been 
washed, care should be taken to keep a bright hot fire 
until steam is generated; this produces rapid circulation, 
and scale will not form so rapidly under these circum¬ 
stances as when the water is heated slowly. I have seen 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


63 


boilers filled with cold water, and then charged with 
steam from another engine by the use of a steam hose, 
so that the blower could be used. This is a very bad 
practice, for the reason that, under these circumstances, 
the upper part of the boiler is hot, while the lower part 
is cool; this produces unequal expansion, and strains the 
seams and stay bolts. 

When a roundhouse is equipped with the appliance for 
heating the water as described, and the time for washing 
and preparing the boiler for service is limited, the blower 
may be worked by using a tee connection in the blower 
pipe where it enters the smoke arch, and making connec¬ 
tion between this tee and the steam pipe which connects 
to the hydrant. The boiler being warm and full of hot 
water, will not be seriously injured by the use of the 
blower under these circumstances, for the reason that it 
is not subjected to the influence of heat other than that 
which comes from the fire-box. About the only objection 
which can be given to the use of the blower as described 
is the rapid expansion of the tubes, but the boiler and 
water being warm, I do not think that this rapid expan¬ 
sion would be productive of serious evil, and I know 
that it would meet the approval of some of our “hurry 
up ” train dispatchers. 

A word here in regard to the care of boilers may not 
be inappropriate. I would say to the roundhouse fore¬ 
men, be particularly watchful of the engine dispatchers, 
or hostlers, as they are oftentimes called. See that they 
move the engines as little as possible after the fires are 
shaken out, for each exhaust draws cold air into the fire¬ 
box, and through the tubes, causing sudden contraction 
and consequent injury. Never allow cold water to be 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 




G4 


injected after the fire is removed, for by injecting cold 
water into a hot boiler not under fire, all parts of the 
boiler are subjected to chilling, and the evil results at¬ 
tending sudden contraction are produced. 



CHAPTER IX. 


MOVING ECCENTRICS. 

The distance an eccentric should be moved on the shaft 
depends materially on how much throw the eccentric has, 
and on the length of the rocker arms. Different build¬ 
ers making a wide difference in the dimensions of these 
parts renders the application of any rule to all engines 
impracticable. Assuming that the back motion eccen¬ 
trics are outside, next to the driving-boxes, and also that 
the eccentrics are not keyed to the shaft, I should pro¬ 
ceed as follows: Now this may be called by some a “cut- 
and-try” way of working, but I think/it a quicker way 
than to endeavor to figure out a rule to apply to a par¬ 
ticular engine. After having given the engine the de¬ 
sired amount of lead in the forward motion, I would 
place the reverse lever in the extreme back notch of 
quadrant, then pinch the engine backward and catch the 
forward dead center; then take down the back half of 
the forward eccentric strap, and push the forward half 
with the rod as far forward as possible. The top part 
of the strap would then be resting on the eccentric 
at about the point A, (see cut); in this position the 
set-screws in the back eccentric may be reached. Now, 
before slacking off these set-screws, scratch a good 
plain line B C across the lower part of the back eccen¬ 
tric and strap. Now as the eccentric is moved on the 
shaft the lines B C will separate, and on most engines 
the proportion of the distance these lines will sepa- 


66 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 



rate to the distance the valve stem will move is about 5 
to 1; thus, if the valve stem is to be moved y 1 /' the lines 
B C should be separated y 5 / 7 ; as I have stated, no 
rule will apply to all engines, and this proportion will 












Locomotive Running Repairs. 67 

change as the outside diameter of the eccentric cam de¬ 
creases by wear. 

After having separated the lines B C five times the 
amount of lead I desired, I should replace the back 
half of the forward strap, and pinch the engine for¬ 
ward nearly one-half revolution; then by pinching the 
engine back would again catch the forward center, 
and note the lead obtained; by carefully noting the 
amount of lead produced by separating the lines B C a 
given distance, the exact lead could be given at the sec¬ 
ond trial, if necessary to move the eccentric the second 
time; then if I was running the engine regularly, and 
was expected to keep its valves square, I would write 
down, and keep in a handy place for reference, the pro¬ 
portion of the separation of the lines to the lead pro¬ 
duced. It was one of my duties at one time to set the 
valves of all engines turned out of the Brainerd shops 
of the N. P. R. R., and to facilitate my work I kept a 
table of these proportions as required for the different 
builds of engines. Thus: 

Baldwin’s = line separation 5 times the lead produced. 

Hinkley’s = “ “ 4 % “ “ “ 

Romes = “ “ 5% “ “ “ 

I do not give this as a correct table, but only to show 
the manner of keeping it. These tables were made, of 
course, after having obtained the proper proportion by 
trial. By this scheme I could give those eccentrics next 
to the driving-boxes the desired amount of lead eight 
times out of ten by one trial. A word now in regard to 
moving eccentrics which are keyed to the shaft. When 
I was doing this class of work I desired the gang boss 
in the machine shop to place the eccentrics on the shaft. 


68 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


so that the keyways iii the cams came exactly in line 
with those in the shaft, and hold them in place with the 
set-screws, leaving out the keys. After getting the eccen¬ 
tric rods the proper lengths, I would move the inside 
eccentrics to produce the desired lead, then move those 
next to the driving boxes in the manner here described. 
After all were in their proper positions the keyways in 
most instances would appear similar to those represented 



by cut. I would then take a small, thin wedge of soft 
wood about one-quarter the width of the keyway, and 
place the edge of it against the side of the keyway in 
the eccentric, then by lowering it bring the thin end in 
contact with the lip A on the shaft; by rubbing it for¬ 
ward and backward a few times under a slight pressure 
a clear impression of the width of the lip is made on 








Locomotive Running Repairs. 


69 


the wedge. This impression shows exactly the amount 
of off-set required for that key. 

If a person is careful after having moved an eccentric 
to go over the work a second time, to insure its being in 
the proper position, and makes an accurate measure¬ 
ment of the impression of the lip A, and is careful 
while making the keys, it is but a short job to put in a 
set of keys, and it will not be necessary to run the en¬ 
gine over in full gear after the keys are in place. 



CHAPTER X. 


BACK CYLINDER HEAD. 

How many of the younger machinists and machinists* 
apprentices have, I wonder, thought how they would pro¬ 
ceed, if given the task of laying out, drilling and putting 
in place a back cylinder head. Of course this would not 
be so difficult a job to do if jigs were available, to which 
the head could be drilled. But all shops do not have jigs, 
and a machinist may often be called upon to do work of 
this kind when very few tools are provided. 

We will assume that we are working in the roundhouse 
at some division terminal, tvhere the only machine tools 
provided are a drill press, a small lathe and planer, and 
that an engine comes in with the right back cylinder head 
badly broken. One is sent to us from the main shops, 
but it is only finished in the lathe and is not drilled for 
the studs or guide-blocks. How shall we lay it out prop¬ 
erly ? 

Some one may say, il lay it out from the old head,” but 
this is not possible to do in all cases. The old head may 
have been broken too badly, then too, the old head may 
not have been properly put up in the first place. The best 
way I think, is to have ideas of our own relative to these 
matters; then we are independent. 

Now we know that the joints will have to be ground, so 
we will first remove all of the studs which fastened the 
head to the cylinder, then with two pieces of wood and 
two bolts make a clamp (cut, p. 71), and fasten it around 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


71 


the neck of the cylinder head. Then thread each end of 
a rod or use a bolt long enough to pass through the cyl¬ 
inder and head, when the head is in place. After apply¬ 
ing oil and emery to the joints, fasten the head to place 
by passing the rod or bolt through a plate of iron, long 
enough to span the front end of the cylinder, then pass 
the rod through the cylinder and head, fasten it at the 
back end by passing it through a plate of iron, of suffi¬ 



cient length to span the stuffing-box in the head. The 
head can then be turned and ground by the use of the 
wooden clamp, previously adjusted. The necessary press¬ 
ure can be given by tightening the nut on back end of rod. 

After the joint is perfect we can easily determine which 
part of the head should go to the top of the cylinder by 
the position of the clearance space cast in it, for, with 
the head in place, this space should conform with the 
steam port in the cylinder. 

Now dampen some lamp black with oil (do not have it 
too thin ) and apply a very light coat of the mixture all 




















72 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


around the inner edge of the joint on the cylinder, also 
around each stud-liole and outer edge of the flange, and 
with the lamp black also make two fine lines, A B (see cut), 
across the face of the flange, one at each end of the steam 
port. Now take a piece of stiff wrapping paper large 
enough to cover the end of the cylinder, and having the 
helper hold it firmly to place, rub the surface of the paper 
with your hand over all points where it touches the flange; 



this will give you on the paper a clear impression of all 
stud-holes, marks A B , etc. 

Remove the paper now and cut out the center and outer 
circumference, being careful to cut close to the lines, 
then with a lead pencil make a dot in the center of each 
stud-hole impression. Now lay the template on the head, 




Locomotive Running Repairs. 73 

being careful to lay the side with marks on toward you, 
and having the lines A B, one at each end of clearance 
space; then have the template held firmly to place while 
you with a fine center-punch, mark over each pencil dot 
a punch mark through the template into the head; remove 
the template and from the punch marks lay out the stud- 
hole .02 // larger than the studs. Now drill them to the 
marks, replace the studs and you will find on trial that the 
head will slip to place nicely. 

Fasten it to place with a nut at the top, bottom and 
each side, then on a stick or a piece of flattened copper 
wire, driven firmly into the stuffing-box, get the center 
of same. Now place a straight-edge on top of the frames 
just back of the cylinder, of sufficient length to reach from 
frame to frame, and to this adjust a level; it does not 
matter if the engine is not exactly level, if care is taken 
to adjust the level to the straight-edge. 

Fasten the level now on the top of a shorter straight¬ 
edge (being very careful not to reverse the level from its 
former position when adjusted to the long straight edge), 
and place the short straight-edge with the level on it 
against the face of cyl nder-head flange to which the 
guides are attached ; adjust the straight-edge until the 
level is correct, and along its top edge, through the cen¬ 
ter of the stuffing-box, scribe line A B (cut, p. 74), and also 
through the center scribe line, C D, at right angles to 
line A B. Those lines now form the foundation from 
which w r e will w r ork, for we know that line A B is level 
with the engine and that line, C D is plumb with it. 

Now the distance that the guide-blocks should be apart 
on the head might be determined from the position of 
those in the guide-yoke, but the yoke might also be 


74 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


broken, and we will consider such to be the case in the 
present instance, and that the entire head lias been re¬ 
newed, planed up and sent to us without having the holes 
drilled for the blocks. 

We will now turn our attention to the crosshead and 
must bear in mind that when all parts are in place the 



center of the hole into which the piston-rod fits in the 
crosshead, must be exactly in line with the center of the 
stuffing-box in cylinder-head. So after centering the 
hole in crosshead we will span with our dividers from this 
center point to point A (cut, p 71), and from center of 
stuffing-box (cut, p. 74), mark this distance to the right of 
center on line A B; then from this mark scribe line E F, par- 


i 













Locomotive Running Repairs. 75 

allel with line C D; now do likewise with distance from 
center point in crosshead to point B (cut, p. 71), and scribe 
line G H (cut, p. 74), parallel with line CD; then across 
the end of the crosshead and just flush Avith the lower bear¬ 
ing surfaces of each lug scribe dotted line C (cut, p. 71), 
and from the center of hole set the dividers fa" above 
line C. This is to allow for a fa" liner between each 
bottom guide and block. 

Now from points FH, on lineA J5 (cut, p. 74), mark this 
distance on lines E F, and G H, and from the marks thus 
made, scribe lines IJ and K L , parallel with line A B. 

When the blocks are in place their inner edges should 

be flush with lines E F and G II. and their lower faces 
• 7 

flush with lines IJ and K L. All of the lines should be 
scribed lightly so they can be filed out after the holes are 
drilled. 

Now mark the top of the outer block, No. 1, and the 
top of the inner block, No. 2, and from the inner edge 
of block No- 1, space the distance to the center of the 
lug by which it was secured to the head, and to the right 
of line E F, and parallel with it, mark this distance. 
Now get the distance from the bottom surface of the 
block to center of lug and above and parallel with line 
K L , mark the latter distance on the head. Proceed in 
like manner with block No. 2, only scribe to the left of 
line G H and above line I J. The points of intersection 
of the four lines last made are the points for the center 
of the holes for the block lugs, and the holes should be 
drilled and reamed to warrant a snug driving fit of the 
block-lugs. 

The holes over the piston gland studs can now be loca¬ 
ted on line A B or C D, as the case may require, the 


76 Locomotive Running Repairs. 

head will then be ready to drill; but before removing it 
we will remove the center stick of the stuffing-box, bolt 
the yoke to place and run a fine line or w r ire through the 
cylinder and secure it to the yoke by hanging a weight 
to it after passing it over the stick A (see cut), driven 



firmly into the slot through which the main rod plays; 
now center the line from the counter-bore in front end of 
cylinder and stuffing-box in back-head;- then with the 
short straight-edge, with level on it, we will scribe on 
the forward side of the yoke line B C, just flush with the 
line through the cylinder; then mark on stick A a point 
at which the line through cylinder rests on it; remove 
the line or wire and proceed to lay out the holes for the 
back blocks, in exactly the same manner as we did those 
for the forward block on the head, after which both yoke 












Locomotive Running Repairs. 


77 


and head can be removed and drilled, and before replac¬ 
ing them, after the drilling is done, each block should be 
fitted to place, for when again put up they should re¬ 
main in place. When both are finished and bolted to 
place we are ready to line up the guides. 


CHAPTER XI. 


GUIDES. 

Upon this subject probably but little will be said which 
will materially aid experienced locomotive mechanics. 
However this may be, I hope to say something which will 
prove a benefit to apprentices, and those unaccustomed 
to this class of work. I have seen machinists who claimed 
to have had vast experience in these matters Who could 
not, or at least who never did, line up a set of guides 
which would run cool, and not cause excessive wear to 
the crosshead. 

Before starting to line up a set of guides it is, of course, 
very necessary to have the bearing surfaces of each cross¬ 
head lug planed perfectly straight and parallel, also to 
have each guide planed or ground true its entire length 
To true up the crosshead I should proceed as follows: 

Place securely in the tapered hole from which the piston- 
rod was removed, a short mandrel; this mandrel should 
fit the hole perfectly. Place the head on the planer bed 
with the top side down to enable the bottom bearing sur¬ 
faces to be planed first. In some shops they use two 
Y-shaped iron blocks bolted to the planer bed, and clamp 
the mandrel with the crosshead attached in the V part 
of the blocks. This is a very good plan, and it insures 
the surfaces being planed in line with the mandrel, which 
is the thing desired. In case no Y blocks are to be had, 
lay the top part of the head flat on the planer bed, and 
shim under it with narrow strips of roofing tin, or paper, 



Locomotive Running Repairs. 


79 


until with the aid of a pair of inside calipers you find that 
the mandrel is in line with the bed. 

Now, it is necessary that the bottom bearing surfaces 
should be, when finished, equally distant from the center 
of the piston-rod hole A, Fig. 1. 



--- !•(/■ 

A c 







































80 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


Now turn the head over, and clamp it to the bed, al¬ 
lowing the surfaces just finished to rest on two parallel 
strips of iron, B B. This will insure the upper and lower 
surface of each lug being parallel when finished. It is not 
necessary that the upper surface of each lug should be 
equally distant from center A, it is better to leave them 
an unequal thickness than to plane away the stock to 
make them equal; plane only enough from each upper 
surface to true it up. 

Now the guides should be planed or ground the entire 
length of each, that is, when finished, the ends A A, Fig. 
2, which bear on the guide-blocks should be in line with 
the wearing surface B. I have known some alleged me¬ 
chanics who, when they wished to close guides, instead 
of removing and reducing the guide-blocks reduced the 
end of the guides as per A B , Fig. 3, to bring the wear¬ 
ing surface C to the crosshead. This is not the way a 
mechanic would do the job. Better have a liner say 
thick on top of each block. 

These liners can then be removed, reduced and replaced 
without disturbing the guides, which thereby remain 
standard. 

After the crosshead is trued up and the guides are 
ground their entire length all is ready to begin the opera¬ 
tion of lining them up. I have taken for example that 
style of crosshead and guides with which ordinary eight¬ 
wheeled engines are usually equipped, for the reason that 
the task of properly lining up this style of guide is about 
as intricate as that of any other style. 

Before running the line through the cylinder, care should 
oe taken to have each guide-block in both the cylinder- 
head and guide-yoke perfectly level with the engine when 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


81 


each is screwed solidly to place, and to obtain good re¬ 
sults each block should be leveled separately. I have seen 
machinists endeavor to level them by placing the level on 
a straight-edge reaching from block to block across the 
head. This is poor policy, as it is impossible to level 
them thus, unless the distance from center to lower face 
of each block is equal; that is, of course, assuming that 
all other parts are properly constructed. The reason it is 
impossible to level them in the manner described when 
the distances mentioned are unequal is that when tight¬ 
ened to place, the blocks would assume the position illus¬ 
trated by Fig. 4, and in this position neither the straight¬ 
edge nor either block would be level with the engine. 

Therefore, I say the better plan is to level each block 
separately in the following manner: 

Adjust the level to a long straight-edge reaching from 
frame to frame just back of the cylinders, or adjust it to 



that part of the cylinder upon which the steam-chest rests. 
Then fasten the level near the end of a shorter straight¬ 
edge, then holding the top of the other end firmly to the 
under surface of each block (see cut) twist them until 










82 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


the level shows correct; tighten each thus and you are 
sure that all are level with the engine. 

After leveling the blocks, take a narrow piece of board 
and bore an inch hole through the center; also one 
through each end, the proper size and distance apart to 
take two of the front cylinder-head studs. Over the 
center hole tack a small piece of thin sheet-iron, and bolt 



the board to the cylinder, as shown in cut. Then mark 
the center of the counter-bore of the cylinder on the sheet- 
iron, and with a breast drill bore a hole in the iron through 
which the line or fine wire will easily pass. After pass¬ 
ing the end of this line through this small hole, tie a knot 
in it, and pass the other end through the stuffing box in 








Locomotive Running Repairs. 83 

the back cylinder head, and fasten it to a stick driven 
tightly into the slot in the guide-yoke through which the 
main rod plays. This method of securing the line in the 
front end of the cylinder will insure its speedy readjust¬ 
ment should it be broken or moved from its proper place. 
After the line is placed as described it can be quickly 
brought to the center of the cylinder by the use of a pair 
of inside calipers. 

Now get the distance from the center of the piston-rod 
hole in the crosshead to the lower bearing surfaces of 
the lugs, and compare this with the distance from the 
under surface of each guide-block (when in place) to the 
center of the line through the cylinder. Should the lat¬ 
ter distance be tfte greater, then about J/ 7 more than 
would make the distances equal should be taken from the 
under surface of each block. This allows for a liner J/ 7 
thick to be placed between each block and bottom 
guide when placed in their proper positions relative to 
the center of the cylinder. After scribing on the side of 
each block the amount necessary to come off, measure 
from the mark to the top of each, and mark on the same 
side, the amount necessary to make it when finished ,% 77 
less in thickness than is the crosshead lug. 

I say % 77 less, because, as previously mentioned, I 
consider it a good plan to have a solid liner be¬ 
tween each block and top guide, so when it becomes nec¬ 
essary to close the guides these liners can be slipped out 
and reduced the amount required, leaving each block in 
place. This lowers the top guides and takes up the lost 
motion between them and the crosshead. 

When closing guides the bottom ones should never be 
disturbed after they are properly lined, for by so doing 


















Locomotive Running Repairs. 


85 


they are liable to be thrown out of line with the cylinder, 
and this would surely cause trouble. 

Now, while an engine is using steam and running for¬ 
ward, the crossheads bear on the upper guides the greater 
part of the stroke. I will try and illustrate this. 

Let A (cut, p. 84) represent the crank-pin on the upper 
quarter; B , the same on the lower quarter; O, the cross¬ 
head; D, the piston rod; A to C and B to C, the main 
rod. Now, when power is applied at B, to move the 
wheel in the direction indicated by the dart E (forward), 
the tendency is to bring the main rod, crosshead and pis¬ 
ton rod to a straight line indicated by the dots; this pulls 
the crosshead against the upper guides; then when the 
pin reaches the point B and power is applied at D , it 
tends to make the angle BOB greater; this again 
pushes the crosshead to the top.guides. Now, when the 
thing is reversed, and the wheel made to revolve in the 
direction indicated by dart F (backward), and power is 
applied to pin at A, it tends to increase the angle D C A, 
and this pushes the crossheads to the bottom guides. 
When the pin arrives at point B, applied power tends to 
straighten the angle BOB, and this pulls the crosshead 
to the bottom guides. 

Notwithstanding that the crossheads bear on the top 
guides while an engine is running forward, the fact re¬ 
mains that the greater wear is from the bottom guides, 
and lower gibs, the reason for this is that the crossheads 
being against the top guides leaves a space between them, 
and the lower guides; into this space is blown dirt and 
grit, then when the engine is running, shut off the cross¬ 
heads, drop to the bottom guides and the accumulation of 
dirt and grit wears away both them and the guides. This 




( 86 ) 


































Locomotive Running Repairs. 87 

being the case I still think it the better plan while clos¬ 
ing guides to lower the top ones, leaving the bottom 
ones undisturbed for the reason stated above. 

After having replaced and leveled the blocks, bolt each 
bottom guide to place with a liner between it and 
each block, leaving the liners large enough to trim off 
flush with the blocks after they are in place. Put in all 
the bolts which are to be left in w T hen the job is finished. 
Do not use temporary bolts. See that each bolt is a snug 
driving fit with the soft hammer. Large nuts, or a suffi¬ 
cient number of washers, can be used on top of the blocks 
in place of the top guides. After all nuts are tightened 
place a straight-edge lengthwise of each guide to see that 
tightening the nuts did not spring them. A straight¬ 
edge which reaches from oil-slot to oil-slot would be 
about the right length. Should a guide be high near the 
center, place a narrow paper liner across under the block 
at point A (cut, p. 86), at the end nearest which the high 
point is. Should the center of a guide show low, put the 
liner across at point B . The thickness of these liners, 
and whether placed at one or both ends, can only be 
determined by trial. After getting the guides perfectly 
straight, with all nuts tightened, take the short straight¬ 
edge, with level attached, and place it across the face of 
each guide, and see that it is level, and that the level 
shows correct with the engine when the straight-edge is 
placed across both guides. After this is done set the 
guide gauge so that when the beam is flush with the bot¬ 
tom bearing surfaces of the crosshead lugsithe point will 
be at the center of the piston-rod hole (see Fig. 1) Now 
place the gauge across the faces of the guides. The 
point should come exactly in the center of the line or wire 


88 Locomotive Running Repairs. 

its entire length. In case it does not, it must be made to 
do so, by either inserting or removing liners, as the case 
may require, being very careful not to displace the cross 
liners of paper put in to straighten the guides. To avoid 
springing them, it is best to try the straight-edges on 
them after every change made in the liners. 

Whqn the guides are straight, level, and in line with 
the cylinder, remove the line and lay the crosshead on 
them. Now we must see that the crosshead lies perfectly 
level on them at all points, or, to use a common express¬ 
ion, we must “ take the rock out of it,” and this is about 
the nicest part of the whole operation of lining up guides, 
as there is no line to guide one, and unless great care is 
exercised they will be thrown out of line. Very thin j 
liners and cross liners may be removed or inserted with- || 
out danger, as the crosshead will show the low points 
more accurately than did the straight-edges. A good 
way to ascertain if the guides are level is to draw heavy 
chalk lines across their faces at different points, for after 
the crosshead is passed over them they will be erased at j 
the highest points. 

When no rock of the crosshead occurs at any point, 
place a screw-jack under each end of the inside guide so 
that the bolts will just pass out ; remove the bolts and 
put on the liners, which, by the way, should be j 
made exactly the size of the blocks, and the holes through j 
them should be made large enough to admit of their sides 
being flush with those of the blocks when all are in their 
final positions. Now bolt on the top guide, which should 
be straightened and leveled by passing the crosshead for¬ 
ward and backward after the jacks are removed, and by 
the use of the heavy chalk lines previously mentioned. 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 89 

When finished, the crosshead should pass freely from 
end to end of the guides, and only admit of the passage 
of a piece of heavy writing paper between it and the top 
guide. 

Now with a small, very sharp chisel trim the liners 
flush with the blocks, and finish all with a fine file-and 
emery cloth. After this course of procedure is gone 
through with on the outer top guide no fears need be en¬ 
tertained in regard to the crosshead running cool, and 
wearing but little, provided it is made of the proper ma¬ 
terial. 

In regard to the proper amount of lateral motion to al¬ 
low, I will state that I have always found good results 
follow leaving fa" full. That is fa" full on each side. 


CHAPTER XII. 


TIRE WEAR. 

Quite an important matter to master mechanics is to 
know at what points on a driving-tire the greatest amount 
of wear occurs. One benefit derived from this knowledge 
is that it aids a person to determine as to whether an 
engine is properly counterbalanced or otherwise. 

It is a well-known fact that a driving-wheel not prop¬ 
erly counterbalanced will slip at certain points in the 
stroke, and a consequent wearing of the tire at these 
points more than at other points is the result, which, if 
prevented, would insure a much longer life to the tire. 
Then, when worn spots occur w T here they would not occur 
if caused by improper counterbalancing, it would be safe 
to conclude that the trouble was with the material of 
which the tire was made. Hence it appears conclusive 
that to determine the cause of tires wearing unevenly, it 
is necessary to correctly locate the low spots on each 
relative to the pin, and also to know the difference in 
wear from one point to another around the wearing sur¬ 
face of the tire. 

To accomplish this object, our master mechanic, Mr. 
E. A. Williams, devised the following method, and em¬ 
ploys the appliances described, obtaining very satisfac¬ 
tory results: 

After having gotten a pair of driving-wheels into the 
lathe, we draw a chalk line across the wearing face of 
each tire at the point where a line drawn from the center 




































( 92 ) 















Locomotive Running Repairs. 


93 


of shaft and through the center of pin would intersect the 
tire, and from this mark we mark off the face of each tire 
into thirty-six equal parts. Then marking the first line 
back of the pin No. 1, the second mark from pin No. 2, 
we number each line consecutively. No. 36 will thus 
fall upon the line directly opposite the pin. After num¬ 
bering the lines, we place in the tool post of the lathe a 
gauge arranged by our' machine-shop foreman, Mr. J. H. 
Hickman. He made a % /A x% " steel bar, A (cut, p. 91), 
and drilled the straight part to receive the steel spindle 
B , and attached the small end of this spindle to the 
geared quadrant C, in a small steam gauge. In the larger 
end of the spindle is cut a slot into which fits a small 
steel wheel about in diameter, whose edge is 

turned down thin as shown by D; fine teeth are then 
filed in the edge; a slot is then cut through the straight 
part of bar A of sufficient length to allow the hand of the 
gauge to make one revolution, when spindle B is pressed 
against the quadrant C; a small steel pin is passed 
through the slot, which it fits loosely, and made fast in 
spindle B; a small spiral spring is wound around the 
larger part of spindle, and bearing on the shoulder holds 
the indicator hand of gauge at O when no pressure is 
applied to small wheel in end of bar A. A sharp-pointed 
indicator was then attached to small pin in spindle B and 
the indicator hand of gauge placed at 0; a scale was 
then clamped on top of bar A and the spindle was pushed 
in and the position of indicator hand marked on 

gauge dial; fifty of these spaces thus indicated were then 
marked on the dial. 

After placing this arrangement in the lathe as shown 
by cut, p. 92, the driving-wheel is stopped when mark No. 1 


94 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


Enqine No 382 

R F 

RB 

LF 

L B 


















































































































































on tire is opposite small wheel in spindle. The small 
wheel is then pressed against the tire until the gauge 
hand is at No. 20. Then, as the driver revolves, mark 
in a column on a piece of paper each number that the 











































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


95 


gauge indicates. The smallest number indicated is the 
lowest spot in the tire, and (calling the head of the 
column of figures No. 1) its position in the'column will 
correspond with the number of the chalk line across the 
face of tire at which the low spot occurs. 

Now, to correctly determine the difference in wear at 
the various points around the tire a chart represented by 
cut (p. 94) is used. (This is a rough chart made by the 
lathe man.) Horizontal lines divide this chart into 36 
spaces, corresponding with the chalk lines across the tire. 
Perpendicular lines divide it into columns, one of which 
is used for each driving-wheel. Now the position of the 
smallest number in the column of figures first made is 
marked O in a corresponding position in the proper 
column on the chart. For instance, should the smallest 
number in the column be the fifteenth number from the 
top then the O is placed in space No. 15 on the chart, and 
the driver is revolved, and stopped when line No. 15 is 
opposite the gauge wheel. The gauge is then run for¬ 
ward until the wheel just touches the tire, but not hard 
enough to move the indicator hand. The lathe is then 
started, and as each line on tire passes under the gauge 
wheel the number indicated by the hand is written on 
the chart in the space corresponding with the number of 
the line passing under the gauge wheel. We thus cor¬ 
rectly obtain the difference of wear from line to line ex¬ 
pressed in one-hundredths of an inch. 

For an office record Mr. T. A. Fogue (our engineer of 
tests) has a goodly number of printed charts (cut, p. 96) 
and when the shop foreman hands in his charts (cut, p. 94) 
Mr. Fogue transfers the numbers to his chart and keeps 
them for reference, so that at a glance one may see the 
























































































Locomotive Running Repairs. 97 

position of the low spot relative to the pin, and can also 
see the difference of wear between any two points. 

To ascertain the thickness of the tire in the tread at 
point 0, or thinnest point, I made a gauge of which the 



following is a description: Take a block of brass or 
iron, A (see cut), and cut a slot in it, through which pass 
a square, B , which is held in any desired position by 
thumb-screw at back (not shown); the slot should be 



































98 


Locomotive Running Repairs 


cut about Yz" from face C. This square is made of 
%"xl" steel. In the top arm of the square cut a slot 
2", into which fit a brass piece, D; this piece car¬ 
ries a t 3_// Xt 3_// x 4// scale, E, which passes freely through 



piece D, when the thumb-nut at back is loosened. When 
the nut is tightened both the brass piece and scale are 
clamped firmly to the square blade. This blade is 
?>%" long, and the upright part of square is in 

























Locomotive Running Repairs. 99 

length. A square groove is planed in the upper 

surface of block A, into which fits a hinged piece, F, 
which is i^ // xl T 3 /'x4% // . The hinged end of this piece 
is left l" wide, so that when it is placed in the posi¬ 
tion shown by cut (p. 97) the upper edge of it is in line 
with the upper surface of block A. The piece F has lugs 
riveted to the under side of it which forms a slot through 
which a ^ // xl // xBj£ // scale, G, passes. The edge of 
this slot is %" from end of piece F. 

To obtain the thickness of a tire with this gauge you 
throw the piece F into the position shown by the dotted 
lines, and press face C of block A firmly against the 
turned rim of wheel center, at the same time pressing the 
upper edge of block A against that part of the tire which 
overlaps the wheel center (see cut, p. 98). Now loosen 
the thumb-screw H , and the square will drop through 
block A until the blade touches the tire at high point I. 
Tighten thumb-screw and loosen thumb-nut at back of 
square blade; this allows scale E to drop to wearing sur¬ 
face of tire. Now move brass piece D in the slot in blade 
until the end of the scale reaches the lowest point of 
wearing surface of tire. Then tighten the thumb-nut 
and remove the apparatus. Now drop piece F (cut, p. 
97), into the position shown, and pass scale G upward 
until its upper end touches the lower end of scale E. 
The distance from block D indicated by lower end of 
scale E is the amount the tire is worn hollowing. The 
distance from upper edge of piece F on scale G is the 
thickness of tire at thinnest point. 

Now, the gauge could have been made by leaving off 
piece F and graduating the upright part of the square. 
Then the difference indicated by scale and square would 


100 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


be the thickness of tire. But, while finding the differ¬ 
ence is where mistakes would be liable to occur, and I 
consider that the expense of putting in piece F is over¬ 
come by the benefit derived from having the scales show 
exactly the amount of wear and the thickness of tire. 







CHAPTER XIII. 

A TIME-SAVING WHEEL TRUCK. 

To those of our readers who have many engine truck and 
tender truck wheels to change, the following description 
of a wheel truck we made here will he of interest, I think. 
Take a piece of sound oak plank, 2%"x 16" x 37"; 10" 
from one end cut a hole in the center of plank, which will 
let pass through the top end of a common 6" screw jack. 
This hole should be cut so that the jack will stand in a 
perpendicular position when the plank is at the angle 
shown at F , Fig. 1. Then have forged an axle of 2"x2" 
iron, bent in form of A, Fig. 1, turn the journals x 
8YY'. The center part of this axle should be flattened to 
about l"x2" to admit of the bolting over it of the piece 
of boiler steel B, Fig. 1. This plate is of %" steel, 8" wide, 
and bent in the form of B , Fig. 1. This is bolted to the 
bottom side of plank over the axle with %" bolts, as 
shown at F. In bolting this plate to plank I used four 
pieces of l^^x 12" iron, one of which passed over 
each end of the steel plate The other two pieces were 
Jet into the top side of plank flush. Each end of the steel 
plate takes three bolts, which also pass through the iron 
pieces mentioned. Then I put a bolt through the 
plank and each end of the iron bars, just at the edge of 
the steel plate. This plate should be very securely bolted 
to the plank, as it carries almost the entire weight of the 
load. The carrying wheels shown by the dotted lines F, 
Fig. 1, are 8" in diameter, with 234" face. The small 





( 102 ) 


A T»IMK BAVIFO W^inCKL Tbuc*. 



















































Locomotive Running Repairs. 


103 


lead wheel is 4" in diameter, with \%" face. This wheel 
is let into the center of plank near the end, as shown. 
For this we used a friction roller for tender truck, which 
had the journals cast on. For boxes we took an old pair 
of hand-car boxes, and bored them out to suit. Now, on 
each edge at the end of the plank which carries the lead 
wheel, I bolted a steel piece slotted as shown at C , Fig. 
1. These were made of )£"x 3" steel—made them of the 
broken top leaf of a driving spring—these pieces are fas¬ 
tened to the plank with l"x 5" square-headed bolts, 
which pass through the slots, and scrqw into the plank, 
the same as lag screws. These steel pieces must move 
easily backward and forward on the bolts. 

In order to have the truck carry wheels from 28" to 33" 
in diameter, I made two jack heads. The one marked D, 
Fig 1, is used when 33" wheels are to be loaded. The 
one marked E , Fig. 1, for 28" and 30" wheels. 

To load a pair of wheels on this truck, proceed as fol¬ 
lows : Run the truck under the axle, and push it forward 
until the forward end of plank strikes the inside edge of 
wheel flange; this will push the ends of slotted steel 
pieces back flush with end of plank. Then place the jack 
head directly under axle, this brings the front end of the 
plank square with wheel flange. Then by raising jack, 
wheel No. 1, Fig. 2, will be raised first, for (if the truck 
is made to these measurements) when the truck is placed 
in position described above, the jack head will be 1" near¬ 
er to wheel No. 1 than to wheel No. 2. Raise wheel No. 
1 until, by pressing down on it, wheel No. 2 will be raised 
above the top edges of slotted steel pieces, when they can 
be pushed out under the flange of wheel No. 2, which 
(when pressure is removed from wheel No. 1) will drop 


104 


locomotive Running Repairs. 


into the notches in steel pieces, and the wheels will rest 
in a parallel position, as shown. 

We find that two men, by pushing on wheel No. 1, can 
run a pair of wheels thus loaded any place in the round¬ 
house. 

I had two pine planks made 4"x 14" x 53", and hinged 
them together, and faced the top sides with No. 16 sheet- 
iron; along the outer edges of each plank on the top I 
screwed a piece of %"xl" iron, the entire length, to pre¬ 
vent the truck from running off. If these planks, are 
placed across the pit and spread out, a pair of wheels can 
be run out and in on them nicely. 

If any one of our readers will build a truck of this de¬ 
scription and try it, I am positive that they will like it, 
as two men can take out and put in a pair of wheels in half 
the time three or four men can do it without the truck, 
aud do it, too, without danger to themselves. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

A SIGNAL HOLDER. 

There are many different appliances on as many differ¬ 
ent railroads for holding signal lanterns on the back end 
of engines and tenders, but among the many I have never 
seen any which exactly fills the bill, according to my 
notion. 

Some have tin or sheet-iron boxes, with tops and two 
sides of each left open, in which to place the lanterns. 
These boxes are sometimes placed on the tender decking, 
one at each end of the back tool box. The trouble with 
these arrangements is that they are an expensive thing 
to make, and as two are required for each engine, this is 
quite an item. Then they are clumsy looking, and lan¬ 
terns placed in them cannot be seen to advantage. An¬ 
other objection to their use is that when they are placed 
on freight engines the brakemen are liable—yes almost 
certain—to use them as receptacles for links and pins. 

In some cases these boxes are placed on top of the 
tender, back of the coal board, and when so placed they 
can be seen better, but are in the way of brakemen when 
they climb over the tender. 

Another plan I have seen adopted is to put hooks near 
the top of the flare or wing of the tender, on which to 
hang the lanterns by the bails. The trouble with this 
arrangement is that the lanterns swing against and in¬ 
jure the paint work of the tenders, besides being very 
dangerous things to trainmen. I have known men to 




106 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 


sustain very serious injuries from being impaled on these 
hooks. 

Some take blocks of wood large enough to receive the 
bottom of a lantern, and cut them to such a bevel that 
when they are placed one on each back corner of the cab 
roof, lanterns placed on them will stand level, the lan¬ 
terns being held to place by springs or some such arrange¬ 
ment. This plan has its advantages over those previously 
mentioned, one of which is that it is more out of the 
way, and the lights can be easily seen; but the disadvan¬ 
tage is that they cannot be seen by the engineer or fire¬ 
man, and are liable to be extinguished without the 
knowledge of either. 

Not having any standard arrangement for holding sig¬ 
nal lanterns on our engines while running light, and be¬ 
ing required to find something which could be adopted 
for this purpose, I looked the field over pretty carefully, 
noted all of the imperfections of the appliances mentioned, 
and conceived the following idea, which when put into 
practice, proved to fill the bill better than anything I 
had previously seen. As it is cheaply made, and no pat¬ 
ent on it, those who try it I think will be pleased with 
the results obtained. 



Fig. 1. 


Take two 6" strap hinges, and cut off one side 4 // from 
the joint; the other end cut off 2" from the joint; bend 
a hook about long on the longer end. Fig. 1 repre¬ 
sents the hook ready to rivet to the tender. Rivet a 





Locomotive Running Repairs. 


107 


hook on each side of the flare (on the inside), at about 
the points indicated by the small circles, Fig. 2, allowing 
the hooks to just appear above the bead as represented 



by Fig. 3. Place the lower guard wire (not the bail) of 
a lantern in the hook, and the lantern will stand as shown 
in Fig. 3, with two of the upright guards resting on the 
top of the bead. Our experience here has proved to us 
that no ordinary jar will displace the lantern from this 
position. The only point that the lantern touches the ten¬ 
der is on top of the bead, and no injury is done the paint 
work. 

Signals in this position can always be seen by both en¬ 
gineer and fireman every time that they look out of the 
window. They can also be seen from all points in the 
rear of the light engine carrying them. When not in use, 
the hooks should be thrown down, as shown by Fig. 4. 











108 


Locomotive Running Repairs. 




In this position they are entirely out of the way and can 
not be seen. 

This device, we And, fills the bill in every respect, is 
cheap and nnornament&l 

















STANDARD BOOKS 

FOR 

Engineers, Firemen and Machinists. 


“ Progressive Examinations of Locomotive Engineers 
and Firemen,” by John A. Hill. A capital little 
book for new beginners. An excellent pocket com¬ 
panion. Price, 50 cents. 

“ Simple Lessons in Drawing,” by Orville H. Reyn¬ 
olds. (Chief Draftsman Northern Pacific Ry.) A 
splendid book. Shows how to learn the elementary 
principles of mechanical drawing and sketching. 
Every student of locomotive engineering and every 
explorer in the field of mechanics should have it. 
Price, $1.00. 

“Alexander’s Ready Reference,” by S. A. Alexander, 
for engineers and firemen. This book contains 
more valuable information in fewer words, and is 
easier understood by railroad men than any other 
book now in print, because it is written in the same 
manner that railroad men talk to each other, and 
by one who has had forty-two years’ practical ex¬ 
perience. It is a gold mine to locomotive firemen 
' aiming at promotion. Price, $1.50. 

“ Compound Locomotives,” by Arthur T. Woods. The 
only book on the subject. Should be in the hands 
of every student of the locomotive. Price $2.00. 

Cash must accompany each order. No books sent C. O. D. 

Address DEBS PUBLISHING CO., 


Terre Haute, Ind. • 



STANDARD BOOKS 

FOR 

Engineers, Firemen and Machinists. 


“Roper’s Instructions and Suggestions for Engineers 
ami Firemen,” by Stephen Roper. This book is 
brimful of just such information as persons of lim¬ 
ited education having charge of steam machinery 
need. Price $2.00. 

“ Roper’s Hand Book of the Locomotive,” by Stephen 
Roper. One of the most valuable treatises ever 
written on the subject. It is fully illustrated, and 
contains a description of the most approved loco¬ 
motives in use. Price $2.50. 

“ Roper’s Young Engineer’s Own Book,” by Stephen 
Roper. Containing an explanation of the principle 
and theories on which the steam engine as a prime 
mover is based. With 106 illustrations, 363 pages. 
18 mo., tuck, gilt edges. Price $3.00. 

“Combustion in Locomotive Fire-boxes,” by Angus 
Sinclair. A treatise on the art of firing. Written 
in a clear every day style. Full of excellent points 
for studious firemen. Price 25 cents. 

“ New r Catechism of the Locomotive,” by M. N. Forney. 
More than 700 pages and more than 500 engravings. 
Greatest book published. Price $3.50. 

Cash must accompany each order. No books sent C. O. D. 

Address DEBS PUBLISHING CO., 


Terre Haute, lnd. 



STANDARD BOOKS 

FOR 

Engineers, Firemen and Machinists. 


“ Enginemen’s Guide, Time and Pocket Book,” by Geo. 
R. Kinne. Showing how to become a first-class 
fireman, together with all rules in regard to acci¬ 
dents, also for operating the air brake. Contains a 
new pystem time book good for three years. Ele¬ 
gantly bound for pocket use. Price, $1.00. 

Air Brake Practice,” by J.E. Phelan, of the North¬ 
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Brake; explains in simplest language how to oper¬ 
ate it under all conditions. An engineer writes us: 
“The book on Air Brake Practice has been a source 
of invaluable information to me; it is worth ten 
h times the price you ask for it.” Price, $1.25. 

r “Locomotive Running and Management,” by Angus 

t Sinclair. A volume of more than 400 pages, by a 
practical man. An invaluable treatise for both en¬ 
gineers and firemen. Tells all about running and 
firing an engine in plain, every day language. 
Adopted by many roads as a standard for examin¬ 
ation. Price $2.00. 

Cash must accompany each order. No books sent C. O. D. 

Address DEBS PUBLISHING CO., 


Terre Haute, Ind. 













